


Dream Him Free

by TwoBoys2Love



Series: Dream Him Free [1]
Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-10
Updated: 2013-12-10
Packaged: 2018-01-04 05:36:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 46,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1077144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwoBoys2Love/pseuds/TwoBoys2Love
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the future, Jensen is born with a remarkable skill. He can view the dreams of sleeping people. Jeff runs a hospital and contacts him with a special case, Jared hasn't spoke or interacted with anyone since he witnessed his parents' death. Jensen must see if he can reach Jared and awaken him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jeff stopped just outside his office door and stared at the nameplate on the wall. No matter how many letters were behind his name there were still days when he felt like a non-swimmer in the deep end of the pool.

The five o’clock shadow on his face was itchy and he rubbed at his chin. He’d noticed first thing that morning how much grey was in his beard and that hadn't been fun. There was far more than the year before, if he remembered correctly. He blamed a lot of those grey hairs on the newest resident at the Center. And that young man was in his office waiting.

After a last breath of the scrubbed facility air in the hallway, Jeff yanked his office door open and headed inside.

The office was stuffy and smelled of old books and paper. Real books. He was one of the only staff at the center who had the old books around. Sure, he had all the latest journals and studies in e-form but he still loved the feel of old paper between his fingers.

The young man sat in the chair opposite Jeff’s desk. “You are Jared.”

Jeff rounded his desk and sat down quickly to level the playing field.

Jared Tristan Padalecki. Twenty years old. Born in Quad C to Gerald and Sharon Padalecki; deceased. Jeff had read Jared’s file so many times he was sure that each word was etched onto the surface of his brain.

Jared’s parents had been found murdered in the family living unit by a neighbor when Jared was only five years old. When law agents had arrived, Jared was curled up on the floor between the dead bodies of his mother and father.

No matter how many times Jeff scanned through the file he always lingered over those words. The answer to Jared's state was there, he knew it. That night, that shocking event; that had begun Jared’s isolation.

Jared Padalecki hadn’t spoken a word in sixteen years. He interacted only insomuch as he would follow along behind someone or wait somewhere exactly as he’d been doing in Jeff’s office.

“You and I haven’t met in person, Jared. But I’ve observed all of your sessions with Misha.”

Misha Collins: a tall, personable blond. Medium build and a bit of a firecracker. He was the best therapist at the center. Jeff had made sure Jared was assigned to his rotation. But even Misha hadn’t been able to reach the young man.

Jeff studied the man sitting across from him. He was tall, over 6’ 4”. Even though he was a little underweight he looked fit. Good genetics. His brown hair was longer than most of the other residents; shaggy, always looked as though he’d just rolled out of bed.

Jared’s gaze was locked on Jeff’s face. It was uncanny, the way he always seemed to be so focused on people. Hazel eyes ringed with flecks of gold. So intense.

“I haven’t been avoiding you, Jared. My role at the center is different. I coordinate the staff, oversee all staff and client pairings.”

When Jeff paused, he smiled and half expected Jared to smile back at him.

“I wouldn’t normally meet with someone like you at all. Misha is great at what he does. He’s the best.” Jeff had no problem saying that to anyone, least of all Jared.

He moved some papers to the side of his desk with nervous fingers.

“Jared? We have a bit of a problem. Your time with us is up for review. That’s what happens when people turn twenty-one. The problem for us is that we have nothing that might convince the center to continue working with you. The Board is very generous with the center’s resources but-”

As Jeff thought about the overwhelming obstacles he faced, his shoulders fell.

“Damn it,” Jeff said softly. “I believe Misha, Jared. I think you’re in there. I just - I’m stumped, Son. I don’t know what the hell to do.”

Jeff was silent for a while. He watched Jared as the young man turned to stare out the window. The central garden was beautiful. Each season the gardeners and some of the residents cultivated a mosaic of color. There had been many long and drawn out arguments with the governing Board about the fiscal demand of the garden. All Jeff had to do was watch Jared looking at the garden to feel that none of the time spent arguing was wasted.

Pushing back his chair, Jeff pressed his hands to the desktop and stood slowly. He paced around the desk and sat down in the chair beside Jared.

“I’ve got one more idea, Jared. Something I can try. It’s a bit unusual given your - silence but I need to try.” On impulse, he reached out and brushed a lock of hair back from Jared’s forehead.

It was difficult to notice but Jared leaned away slightly. Misha had said that Jared manifested signs of withdrawing from contact. He couldn’t help wondering if it was pure instinct, a base reflex or if it was more.

“Come on, Son. Let’s get you back.”

Misha’s notes on Jared were thorough and, as the administrator, Jeff had read them all. Misha had detailed everything about his interactions with Jared, including how to get him to move.

Jeff stood and slipped his fingers under Jared’s elbow. “Let’s walk, Jared.”

The young man seemed to unfold slowly from the chair. Jared was a little taller than Jeff, broad-shouldered with a slim waist and hips. Jeff thought he looked younger than twenty.

Sighing, Jeff shook his head. He could be on a wild goose chase but, if he’d learned anything over the years, it was that he should follow his instincts.

With hardly any pressure at all, he guided Jared out of his office and into the bright hallway. Their steps were in sync and Jeff released Jared’s elbow.

“You know, Jared? This hallway is one of my favorite places in the center.” Smiling, he gazed down the hall that lay stretched out before them. The walls were floor to ceiling glass; a lattice of openings ran vertically, letting fresh air in. The scent of the blossoms in the garden was almost overpowering.

“When I first came to work here I had Misha’s job. I was a therapist, enjoyed helping people. It’s much more rewarding than pushing paper.” Jeff laughed, mostly at himself. He remembered when he’d been offered the job in admin; naturally, it was more money but that wasn’t why he took it. He remembered his father telling him that change was top-down. After all, if you weren’t the one steering the ship then it was pretty hard to set the course.

Jeff wanted things to change. He _wanted_ to be able to help Jared.

Jeff stared ahead of them down the bright hall. The only sound was the scuff of his boots and the occasional squeak of Jared’s sneakers.

There was a familiar face waiting for them at the end of the hall. Blond locks whipped up like the peaks of a meringue framed the round face, and even from a distance Jeff could make out Misha’s ice-blue eyes.

“Hey, Jared! Was Morgan good to you or do I have to kick his ass?”

Jeff chuckled as he shook his head. Misha was probably one of the nicest guys Jeff had ever worked with. When it came to the center, there was no one more dedicated than Misha. Jeff happened to know that Misha often worked overtime without logging it. Just because.

Jared moved closer to Misha and stared down the hallway behind them. The hazel gaze was so focused that Jeff had to fight the urge to look behind him.

“Our meeting went well, Misha. I spoke with Jared for a while,” Jeff said. “I think he likes me.”

The smile on Misha’s face grew a little brighter. Jeff supposed it was to do with Misha’s unwavering belief that Jared could be reached.

“Jared’s a good guy to hang out with. I tell him all my secrets.” Misha reached up to tousle Jared’s hair.

Just like Misha had flipped a switch, Jared started walking forward against and disappeared into his room.

“God. Misha.”

“Yeah. It’s a bit daunting, I get that. But Jeff? I _know_ he’s in there. Call it gut instinct, sixth sense. It just _feels_ like he’s there.

Jeff held up his hands in mock surrender. “Preaching to the choir.”

He meant that quite literally. He’d spent countless hours watching Jared through glass, hundreds of hours reading Misha’s reports. But, it had been meeting Jared, sitting in the same room with the young man that he done it. There was just something about Jared. Even without a voice, it was as though Jared was a _presence_.

“So,” Misha dug his fingers into his hair and managed to look frustrated for the first time Jeff could remember.

“I have someone … I've got one more thing to try.”

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

Jensen smoothed his t-shirt down over his chest and took a few deep breaths. He always got a little bit psyched up before meeting “the new recruits,” as his boss, Jim called them.

A swell of laughter rose from the audience in front of the stage and Jensen leaned forward a little so he could see Jim through the doorway. Jim was going full force. There was a grin on the old man’s face that somehow managed to appear from beneath his full beard.

Jensen could remember the day he’d been sitting in that same audience. Jim had been there all those years ago. Of course, he’d looked quite a bit younger.

Jim gave a quick glance over his shoulder to put Jensen on notice.

“Once upon a time they all lived happily ever after,” Jensen murmured under his breath. He shuffled closer to the door and listened in on the last bit of Jim’s rather dramatic introduction. 

“One of our best Guides is with me today to speak to you. Jensen Ackles is twenty-five years old, was tapped when he was fifteen. Quite a bit younger than most of you.” Jim paused and Jensen heard someone in the room say something but it was too quiet for him to make out.

Jim made his way forward, a little closer to the audience of fresh faces. “Yes, you’re right. Jensen _is_ quite unique for a Dreamskimmer but he also has a lot in common with all of you. How about I just bring him out here to speak to you? I’m sure you’d rather hear from him. Thanks for listening and again, welcome to the Warrington Guiding Institute.”

Turning toward the door, Jim nodded at Jensen.

Jensen closed his eyes for a few moments and then strode out onto the stage. He held up his hand in greeting and walked straight over to the stool that Jim had left out for him. “Thanks, Jim.”

Lifting a hand to shade his eyes from the glare of the stage lights, Jensen smiled out at all the strangers in the room.

“I guess you guys know that I’m Jensen.” The room filled with a swell of laughter; Jensen was used to that. Most people, after all, would probably know his name if they heard it. To the people who made up the audience, he was practically a household name. He smiled.

“I was sitting right down here ten years ago.” Jensen pointed to the first row of seats. “I was scared, nervous, a little confused - proud. I was pretty proud. I was tapped about a week before I was here. So, I know what it feels like to be sitting there. Welcome. You’re the most recent set of NewGens to come through the doors.”

Jensen paused as people began to clap. He really did think they should be proud. Only about 10% of the population would even test positive for the switch; less than half of those would be given the opportunity to be a Guide.

“Let me just go over some of the basics with you. You were tested and you’ve been told you have the switch gene that makes you a NewGen.” He looked around the room again at all the dimly-lit faces.

“How many of you are Telepaths, or Telpats as we call them?” Well over half the people in the room put up their hands. “Guess you don’t need to _hear_ the rest of my speech,” he joked.

His humor had the desired effect and nervous laughter broke out. “You are the core of the Institute's work; you’ll work in Security, military services, and law enforcement. Now, who knows the second most common switch talent?”

“Feelers!” Came a distance voice.

The nickname made Jensen chuckle. “Yup. If you’re an Empath, raise your hand.” A far smaller group of people put their hands up and Jensen nodded.

“How about Recognitives, or Recogs?” There were a few scattered hands up around the room. “Don’t despair! Your ability to see past events will make you _very_ popular when people are trying to remember their training.”

The laughter in the room was stronger and more relaxed. Jensen had done the routine so many times it was automatic. No reason, of course, to change it if it worked.

He waited until the noise died down. “Skimmers?” As he watched the room, he noticed only a few hands appearing. Nodding, Jensen got comfortable on the stool.

“I’m a Dreamskimmer, like Jim said. We’re the rarest of the NewGens so we’ll probably all get to know each other really well.” There were some even more significant differences: Skimmers were the only NewGens who worked almost exclusively with the human subconscious. It was risky venturing into people’s dreams but it was exhilarating, exciting and brought with it a fair bit of notoriety.

“You’ve had a long day already. I know how much it is to take in. But I just want to urge you to take it all in stride. Don’t push yourself too hard during the first few weeks. It will all start to make more sense after you’ve had time to process things. I’m one of the resident Guides here at the Institute so feel free to chat with me if you see me around.”

Jensen stood and tugged his t-shirt down. “I’ll leave you with the motto you will _love_ to _hate_ by the end of your orientation week. Respect, Observe, Report!” Smiling widely, Jensen headed off the stage back into the waiting room.

Jim was sitting on the leather couch at the far end of the room. “Great as usual.”

Jensen rolled his eyes and sank down into one of the overstuffed chairs. “Same stuff all the time but it seems to make people feel better.”

The day Jensen had arrived at the Institute, despite all the changes and uncertainty, he’d been relieved to be away from home. There were some things better left in the past and Jensen had never looked back. He knew it would be like that for most of the young people who had just arrived.

“Good thing you’re talented ‘cause you sure aren’t good at paying attention,” Jim chided.

Letting his memories slip away, Jensen smiled at his friend and colleague. “Always reminds me of when I arrived here.”

The wrinkles on Jim’s forehead grew a little more prominent as his expression changed. He looked worried.

“Don’t get all maudlin. You know me, Jim. The past is behind me and that’s where it’s gonna stay. The Institute is my home.”

Jim shook his head slowly. “It shouldn’t be.”

“Enough, Jim,” Jensen snapped. He really wasn’t feeling up to hashing out the past. Jensen liked what he did. The remuneration was great. Jensen didn’t want for anything. And, he didn’t look backwards.

Realizing he’d been a little harsh, Jensen flashed his brightest smile at Jim. “I’m gettin’ edgy. Haven’t worked in a while.”

Jim nodded and suddenly became overly interested in his suit jacket.

Sometimes, Jim benched Jensen. It was the only way to get Jensen to take any time off and they both knew it. Skimming dreams was addictive. The science of that was solid; endorphins, REM sleep, the neurons in the human brain working overtime.

But - there was something more. Skimming through someone’s dream was the most intimate thing Jensen had ever experienced. It didn’t matter that he was just an observer. Sometimes, he was still a little bit _in awe_ of the process. Even without interaction; just as the audience, it was intimate.

Suddenly feeling a little frustrated, Jensen stood and headed towards the door.

“Hey, Jensen?” Jim’s voice was steady; smooth and rich. The one constant in Jensen’s adult life had been Jim Beaver.

Jensen paused with his hand on the door knob. “Yeah?”

“Come see me after dinner. I’d like to talk to you about a new assignment.”

Interest piqued, Jensen smiled. “Okay. See you at your office.”

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

“It’s not what you’re used to, Jensen.”

Jensen leaned back in the wide arm chair opposite Jim’s desk. “You know I can handle anything.”

Kicking his legs up over the arm of the chair, Jensen let out a long-suffering sigh. He looked at the huge wall of books that extended out from behind Jim’s shoulders. Hundreds of books.

There was an unpleasant expression on Jim’s face. It was the one that usually preceded a lecture about responsibility and restraint. Jensen just kept staring at the books. 

“Jensen, I’ve been approached by a friend. Normally, I wouldn't even consider sending someone into a situation like this-”

“Like what, exactly?” The reluctance Jim had only made Jensen even more curious. “Jim?”

Jim scratched the top of his slightly balding head and rolled lips lips together for a few moments. “You know the Tranquille Center?”

Oh, Jensen _knew_ it. “‘Course. That’s where the _fried_ NewGens go.”

Looking a little shocked, Jim dropped a hand onto his desk. The thwack of flesh against wood made Jensen jump.

“Could just as easy happen to you, Son. If you keep up with the pace you’re at. Have some respect.” Jim’s gaze pinned Jensen to the chair.

When the silence had gone on long enough to be uncomfortable for both of them, Jensen cleared his throat. “Sorry,” he muttered.

“Maybe this was a mistake,” Jim said softly.

“Aw, _come_ on.” Jensen spun in the chair so he could drop his feet to the floor. “I’m sorry. I mean it. It was a shitty thing to say. But it’s not gonna happen to me, I’ve never even been thrown.”

That wasn’t _exactly_ the truth. Jensen had _almost_ been thrown by a sleeper once but he’d managed to disengage just in time. It was rare, but sometimes, when a dreamer became partially aware of the Skimmer’s presence - the shock of it could jolt the Skimmer loose. Breaking an active connection was dangerous but Jensen’s wasn’t as worried as Jim seemed to be.

“Like I said. A friend approached me. Jeff Morgan. He’s the Administrator of Tranquille. Great guy.”

“How do you guys know each other?” Jensen figured that if he wanted to get his way, he’d better tow the line.

The expression on Jim’s face softened and there was a hint of a smile on his face. “We went to school together. Had some hobbies in common. I was smarter.”

Smirking, Jensen shook his head. “So, he’s got someone for me to skim?”

“Yeah. A young man. Morgan’s got a problem because this kid is about to turn twenty-one and he’s supposed to be leaving the center, possibly even stasis. They haven’t been able to make any progress with him and the Board will want to open up his spot for someone else.”

Curiosity rippled through Jensen and he leaned forward a little. “But he’s fr- he’s having problems?”

“Like I said, complicated.”

“I’ll do it.” Jensen grinned.

“Listen, Jensen. I’m serious. This fellow - he was identified as having the switch gene but, so far, it hasn’t manifested in his behavior.”

“I’ve dealt with that before. We can talk to him-”

“He hasn’t spoken since he was five years old. There’s no way to determine what kind of NewGen he is or if the gene is even active.” Jim leaned back in his chair and folded his arms.

Chewing on his bottom lip, Jensen studied the worry etched on Jim's face. “I’m sure it will be fine.”

“Jensen, we think his parents were murdered in front of him. He was found by police sitting in between his parents’ bodies on a blood-soaked carpet.”

For the first time in a lot of years Jensen felt his confidence waver. “And he hasn’t spoken since then?”

Jim nodded. “Think about it. It’ll be riskier than what you normally do. Think about it and I’ll set up a meeting with Jeff.”

Nodding, Jensen stood and stretched out his back. “Oh, I’ll think about it.”

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

The Warrington Institute had acres of arable land. Half of the grounds had once been a restricted park. When concern about the environment lessened slightly, the land was sold off in parcels. Alexander Warrington, a wealthy idealist, had purchased all the land that now housed the Warrington Institute.

Alexander Warrington’s grandson, Joshua, had been a NewGen. The years of Joshua’s short life had been tumultuous. The early history of NewGens was rocky and dangerous. Joshua had been a victim of lack of knowledge when he had tried to skim the dreams of a very strong Telpat. The connection had failed and their minds had both been damaged irreparably.

There had been many debates about the _rights_ of NewGens as their switch talents had begun to develop. There was discrimination and bigotry. It had taken a decade to settle into an uneasy peace.

Jensen had faced little in the way of discrimination. By the time he had turned fifteen, the world had moved on. Most people embraced a society that included NewGens, as the advantages outweighed the drawbacks.

Most of Jensen's life, he’d been treated as more of a commodity than anything else. His talent at skimming dreams set him apart from many of his contemporaries. 

One of the many perks of Jensen having the talent he did, was that he lived in one of the staff cottages on the grounds of the Institute. It afforded him security and convenience and he’d never been one to worry too much about where he was hanging his hat.

When Jim had told Jensen that he could choose his own cottage, Jensen had chosen the small house nearest to the man-made lake. It was a mile walk to the Institute but Jensen didn’t mind. He used the time to think and to try and stay grounded in the real world. Dreams were seductive.

For instance, as he walked home from his meeting with Jim, Jensen kept running over the details in his mind. This mysterious dreamer was almost twenty-one years old. Had his switch gene activated normally, he would have manifested some kind of talent between fifteen and twenty. Twenty would have been really late; just like manifesting at fifteen had been early for Jensen.

Trudging along the well-worn path, Jensen tried to push aside the vaguest feeling of anxiety. He was good at what he did, and he was quick. If he managed to connect with this dreamer - and it was a _big_ if - he could separate the moment he sensed anything unusual.

His knowledge of Dreamskimmers working with Telpats was limited to the research that had been done early on.

When a Skimmer slipped into the dream of a Telpat, the Skimmer was no longer just an observer and became a part of the dream. The telepathy completed the feedback loop. Skimming a Telpat had been banned for longer than Jensen had been alive. Like every other Skimmer, he knew the risks. He knew that years before there had been three deaths and a rash of Skimmers whose minds became so entangled with the Telpats that they were lost.

It was all a little more disconcerting than Jensen would even admit to Jim. But the draw was much stronger.

Jensen may have the opportunity to connect with a mind that had been isolated for years. There was no way to predict what he would find there. Jim might call it reckless but the idea thrilled Jensen. He was willing to take a chance for that kind of opportunity.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

The room was silent except for the tapping of Jeff’s pen against the edge of his desk. The meeting with Jensen and Jim had been Misha’s idea; a chance for them all to get to know each other before they made any final decisions. The meeting _should_ have begun at 1 pm. It was 1:35. Being late for their very first meeting seemed disrespectful to Jeff. It felt like things were already getting off on the wrong foot.

“Stop,” Misha said softly.

The pen froze in Jeff’s hand and he glared over at Misha.

Misha rolled his eyes. “Not that. Twitch all your energy away if you want. Just stop over-thinking.”

“I’m not - well...” Jeff tossed the pen down on his desk and growled in frustration. “They’re over half an hour late.”

“Shit happens. Maybe something came up at the Institute. You know how busy they are.” Misha leaned back in the chair and spread his fingers wide on the arms.

Jeff knew there could be a hundred reasons why the men were late, but in all the years he’d known Jim, it had never happened before. “It’s just not a good sign.”

Eyebrows arching slightly, Misha fixed Jeff with an amused stare. “You believe in signs now?”

“Misha. Now’s not the time for-”

The door burst open and Jeff stood quickly, startled by the sudden intrusion. “Jesus, Jim.”

Jim thrust his hand out as he strode across the room. “Damn sorry for bein’ so late, Jeff. I know how you hate that.”

Forcing a smile onto his face, Jeff grabbed his old friend’s hand and shook it firmly. “Nothing to worry about, Jim.”

Jeff glanced over at Misha long enough to see the man roll his eyes again.

“Jim, this is Misha. He’s Jared’s primary at the Center. Misha, Jim runs the Warrington Institute. He and I go way back.” Jeff had known Jim longer than he’d known anyone else in his life.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Jim. You folks do great work over there. It’s an honor to finally meet you.” Misha shook Jim’s hand and looked at the empty office behind him.

Jeff’s smile was starting to waver. “Jim? What about Jensen?”

“Here I am.” A young blond strode into the room with a coffee that he had, obviously, picked up from the main floor food service department. “Hey.”

Jeff closed his eyes for a few moments. The meeting wasn’t starting out quite how he’d envisioned it. “You must be Jensen.”

The young blond nodded and smirked at Jeff before taking a sip of coffee. “You’re all _way_ too old to be NewGens so... where is he?”

“Jensen.” Jim’s voice had a sharp edge to it.

“I don’t think this is going to work,” Jeff said quickly. Jensen might be _famous_ but, as far as Jeff was concerned, he wasn’t getting anywhere _near_ Jared.

“Jeff?” Misha stepped in front of Jeff and shot him a look before turning back to face Jim and Jensen. “Let’s all have a seat, shall we?”

After a couple of deep breaths, Jeff smiled coolly and sank back down into his chair. Jensen was lucky there was a desk between them.

Jim caught Jensen’s wrist and whispered something to him before they both sat down. Jim cleared his throat and smiled at Jeff. “Like I was sayin’, sorry we’re late. Jensen is a talented guy. There’s no one better, but he has a piss-poor concept of time.”

Jensen let out an amused snort.

Jeff nodded and leaned back a little. “Jensen. It’s nice to meet you.”

Jensen finally put his coffee down and seemed to realize that he’d annoyed Jeff because his demeanor had changed slightly. “Nice to meet you, Jeff. Sorry we’re late.”

After Jensen had the decency to drop his gaze and at least try and look apologetic, Jeff nodded at Jim. Jim had, after all, been his friend _far_ too long for there to be no trust.

Misha shifted his chair a little closer to Jeff’s desk. “How about we start off by hearing a bit about Jared and then, if you’d like, Jensen you could discuss your strategy.”

“Strategy?” Jensen picked up his coffee again. “I usually just wing it. People let me know how I’m doing pretty quickly. It’s kind of obvious.” He leaned forward and set his coffee on the edge of Jeff’s desk. “You _do_ know who I am? You’ve seen the work I’ve done?”

A few beats of silence passed before Jeff looked back over at Jim. “Are all your NewGens this cocky?”

“No,” Jim replied quickly. “Jensen, by far, has the biggest mouth and he spends a lot of time putting his foot in it.”

Jensen looked indignant enough that it amused Jeff.

Holding up his hands, Misha smiled warmly and waited until he had everyone's gaze on him. “Jared hasn’t spoken since he was five years old. We’ve tried all the standard treatments. Our staff Telpats can’t read him. I _believe_ he’s in there. It’s based solely on my instincts - nothing more.”

Jeff had thought, on more than one occasion, that Misha didn’t mince words but he certainly didn’t sugar-coat the situation. “Jensen? Jim says that you may be able to reach Jared. It’s a lot to ask. I know it.”

Jensen didn’t say anything for a while. He picked up his coffee and took a sip. After he swallowed he looked over at Jeff. “No one is a better Skimmer than me. What’s so special about this guy?”

That gave Jeff pause. It had never occurred to him that Jared _was_ special at all, except that, maybe he needed a little more help than most of the residents. “There’s not a damn thing that’s special about him that I’ve observed.”

“So, why is he worth it? I mean, I’ll do it. But why do you guys care so much?”

“Jensen,” Jim warned

Jeff held up his hand as Misha opened his mouth to, no doubt, say something very diplomatic. Jeff stared Jensen down. For the first time he noticed how young the Skimmer looked. There were freckles scattered across his nose and cheeks, his lips were full and smooth. His hair was artfully arranged to look carelessly thrown together. He looked like a college kid, cocky and overconfident. Jeff was a little scared for him.

“Listen, Jensen,” Jeff began. “I just want to try and reach Jared. I’m with Misha. I can’t explain it but I think the kid is in there somewhere. Maybe, I just need to try. Maybe it’s his eyes - they’re this crazy color; green with gold flecks. And he looks at people sometimes. It doesn’t make any sense if he’s completely unaware of … anyone. Is that enough?”

Jeff felt Misha’s hand on his arm and sat back.

Misha cleared his throat. “Jensen, Jim. We’re just asking for a chance for Jared. If you feel like the risk is too great then we’ll understand.

Nodding, Jim glanced over at Jensen. “It’s a risk for Jensen for sure. _If_ he manages to connect with Jared, and it’s a big _if_ ; things could go south really fast. I read the file you sent. He’s got the switch; he could be a Telpat. That intense a connection could cause enough feedback to damage Jensen’s-”

“I _said_ I’d do it,” Jensen said softly. He shrugged a shoulder as he stared over at Jeff. “I know the risks better than all of you.”

Closing his eyes for a few moments, Jeff let out a sigh of relief. Oh, he _was_ concerned for Jensen’s well being, but he wasn’t sure he could live with himself if they didn’t at least try. Whatever Jensen’s motive was: the challenge, notoriety, stubbornness, Jeff would take it for what it was worth.

Jeff nodded and Jensen smiled slightly before downing the rest of his coffee.

“I don’t suppose anyone cares what my opinion is at this stage,” Jim said. There was a smile on his face but he still looked a little worried.

“I always care what you think, my friend.” Jeff loosened his tie a little and leaned back. Regardless of what Jim might be thinking, Jeff was pretty sure that Jensen was accustomed to making his own decisions.

Turning in his chair, Jim raised his eyebrows as he smiled at Jensen. “I told you on the way over that you’re the best person to make the decision. I don’t think it’s 100% safe for you but I’d rather agree to it and do it officially.”

“It’s damned unlikely to happen _un_ officially,” Jeff interjected.

“Well, Jeff. You don’t know Jensen.” Jim shook his head. “He’s … resourceful, for lack of a better word.”

“If you _hurt_ Jared I will _kick_ your ass,” Misha said firmly.

“Misha!” Jeff was shocked and amused at the same time and had some difficulty hiding his amusement.

“I’m still gonna do it,” Jensen mumbled.He looked a little cowed by Misha’s threat but Jeff was willing to bet that he’d heard far worse. With an attitude like the one he was sporting, Jensen probably had more than his fair share of altercations with people.

“Thank you, Jensen.” Jeff looked won at the file on his desk then slid it slowly across the desk. “Everything you need to know about the Tranquille Center … and Jared.”

Misha pulled a key card out of his suit pocket. “I’ve had a room in Jared’s wing readied for you. Jim said you’ll stay here for the duration of the sessions."

All Jensen did was nod before picking up the file and the key card. “Can I take a look around? Start tomorrow night?”

A little taken aback, Jeff nodded and looked over at Misha.

“Of course,” Misha answered. “I’ll take you to your unit now and I’ll arrange for you to spend some time with Jared tomorrow.”

Stretching as he stood up, Jensen tucked the folder under his arm. “I don’t need to see him before the first attempt. Which way?” 

Jeff nodded when Misha looked to him. He watched as Misha made his way out into the hall with Jensen trailing behind him. 

It wasn’t until the sound of their footsteps faded that Jeff turned his attention to Jim. “He’s an arrogant little prick.”

“But he’s damn good at what he does.”

“Does he care about people at all?”

“Oh, come on, Jeff. He’s young and cocky but that comes from havin’ a hell of a gift and a really abnormal life. The things that rub people like you and me the wrong way? That’s probably what makes him as good as he is.” Jim tapped his knuckle to his lip a few times as he studied Jeff.

“Well, I’m trusting _you_ , Jim. And everything Misha read about Jensen seems to support him being an amazing talent.”

The office was silent for a few moments then Jim started to chuckle.

Jeff smiled at his friend and dragged a hand down his face. “ _What_ a personality.”

“Survival mechanism, I think. Jensen didn’t have such a great start in life either.”

Nodding, Jeff pulled out his bottom drawer and reached in to retrieve an old bottle of Scotch. He picked up an empty glass and nodded at Jim, who nodded back. Jeff was certainly willing to listen if Jim could be persuaded to talk a little more about Jensen.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

The Tranquille center was far quieter than Jensen had expected. As soon as Misha had left him, Jensen had felt the silence wrap around him. He was used to the buzz of the other NewGens at Warrington. There was an energy about the place; maybe it was to do with so many people with switch talents gathered in one spot. He reminded himself that the first night away was always the worst.

Heading over to the small wooden workstation, Jensen picked up the file Jeff had given him. Sinking down into the armchair by the window, he flipped it open. 

The first thing he saw was a small photo of Jared. _Jared_. Jensen trailed his finger down the curl of hair the portrait had captured. Exotic, was the word that came to mind while Jensen looked at the image. Jared’s eyes were slanted slightly, just enough to soften his expression. Even in the small image, Jensen could see the hazel rings in Jared’s eyes. The young man was looking straight into the camera. It seemed Misha and Jeff were right. There was _something_ in those eyes. Whether that _something_. was a coherent mind remained to be seen.

He was used to having all his information in e-format; the papers were smooth in his fingers as he flipped through them. There were numerous reports from Misha, endless accounts of one-sided encounters with Jared. But the words all ran into one another. The only thing that caught his eyes were the photos.

There was a color image of Jared outside in the garden. Tugging the photo loose, Jensen propped it up on the table next to the bed. He flopped down onto the mattress and curled up on his side. He stared at the photo until his eyelids fluttered closed.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

Some nights, Jeff stayed at Tranquille because the task of commuting home seemed insurmountable. Sometimes, he stayed because he had an early meeting. He’d decided to stay the night after meeting Jensen because it felt like the right thing to do. He already felt like they were on the verge of abandoning Jared; it was small comfort that Jeff could be there... just in case.

He was pacing the halls. After the meeting he’d chatted with Jim for a while then gone to his unit to change. It always felt a little strange to walk around the center in casual clothes. But Jeff was still a jeans and t-shirt guy at heart.

The coffee lounge was on the main level by the courtyard and Jeff headed there on instinct. The smell of freshly brewed coffee was always relaxing. The thick, tangy scent reminded him of the cold winter mornings on his parents’ farm. So many years ago.

He rounded the corner and headed through the glass doors, only to find out he wasn’t alone. Jensen was at the coffee center looking a bit confused. “Problem?”

Jensen started and almost dropped the cup he was holding. “There aren't staff at night. I wanted hot chocolate and the codes are different here.”

Nodding, Jeff shoved another mug under the spout and punched a few letters on the front panel. The instant the hot liquid started pouring, the scent of chocolate wafted up. “Misha changed the codes.”

For a few moments, Jensen looked puzzled then he shook his head and smiled. “Sorry, what?”

The machine sputtered as the beverage reached the top of the mug. Jeff gestured for Jensen to take it. “The standard codes were a little complicated for a lot of our residents. Misha reprogrammed them. They’re all 3 digit codes here. I’ll make sure to forward you the list.”

“Thanks.” Jensen wrapped his hands around the mug and stared down at it.

Jeff really wanted to leave the Dreamskimmer to his own devices but the felt a little guilty about how … out of place … Jensen looked. The Center was a big place; it could be unnerving at night once most of the bustle had stopped. “So. You settling in okay?”

“Oh yeah. Fell asleep for a while reading that file.”

“Did it bore you?” Jeff stiffened slightly and picked up the coffee Jensen had poured himself by mistake. He sniffed it and then took a sip.

“You don’t like me much, do you?”

“You’re arrogant and I’m worried about Jared.”

“I wouldn’t ever hurt anyone deliberately. I know i can be kind of a jerk...” Jensen’s voice trailed off to nothing.

When Jeff looked over at Jensen, he couldn’t help sighing. The young man actually looked a little taken aback and, perhaps, if Jeff was generous - a little upset. “It’s hard to understand, sometimes. The NewGen stuff.”

Looking thankful, Jensen nodded. “I can understand that. It’s hard to explain. I’ve done some work on trying to create a simulation for people who don’t have the switch.”

“Why would you do that?” It puzzled Jeff that Jensen would do something like that. It didn’t fit with the disconnect he’d felt from him earlier.

Jensen shrugged. “Don’t you think everyone wants to be understood?”

After a moment of surprised hesitation, Jeff nodded. “That I do, Jensen.”

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

The moment Jensen was in the same room as Jared, he knew he was in trouble. There was hair swept forward across Jared’s face; his eyes were almost obscured from view. Muscles rose and fell under Jared’s lightly tanned skin. It surprised Jensen a little - Jared looked like he _lived_ life rather than just coasting through it. Of course, he knew the sun-kissed skin was from Jared’s time in the garden. The file Jensen had read through even had one photo of Jared in the middle of a flower bed. There didn’t seem to be much purpose behind what he did and Jensen wondered if it was just like walking: push Jared in a certain direction and he would just keep going.

He could, potentially, find out the answers to most of his questions very soon.

The sleep unit was small. Muted colors danced around the room as the mood-sensors tried to keep up with the emotional emission of everyone in the room.

Jensen’s heart beat a little faster when he saw the Slegg. The huge pod was such a familiar place to him. The first time he’d seen one at the Warrington Institute; he’d thought it looked like some kind of steel egg from a robotic dinosaur. The only thing was that the Slegg padding inside was the most inviting thing Jensen had ever seen. It still looked inviting but Jensen lingered by the door.

Misha was crouched beside Jared. His voice was a soft drone in the room; white noise of comforting explanations. On the other side of the small room, near the reporting desk, Jeff was pacing. The man clearly still had his doubts about the Dreamskimming, or more specifically, Jensen.

There wasn’t anything Jensen could put his finger on. He had half jokingly suggested to Jim that Jeff might have a _thing_ for his young patient. That had gotten him the foulest look he’d had from Jim in a very long time. He’d also had to listen to a twenty minute tirade that boiled down to _Jeff’s not that kind of guy_.

When Misha looked up and nodded at Jeff the lights in the room flickered again. 

It was tense and Jensen didn’t like it at all. “I’m not used to having an audience,” he said to anyone who might be listening.

“I’m not planning on staying for the session,” Misha said. “I just had some things I wanted to say to Jared.” Misha’s fingers were curled protectively over Jared’s shoulder.

“Does anyone care what I want?” Jeff sounded tense, his voice tight.

Misha sighed. “Jeff-”

“I don’t need to worry about _you_ ,” Jensen said quickly. “I know what I’m doing and it’s no good for me if something bad happens to Jared. You and Misha have nothing to lose.”

An angry-looking red flush had begun to slide up under Jeff’s stubble. If he had anything to say, Misha effectively silenced him by stepping in between them.

For a few heartbeats, Jensen just stood his ground as Misha stared him down. “Let me do what I do. I will take care of Jared.”

After almost too much silence, Misha nodded curtly. He headed towards the door quickly, as though afraid he might change his mind. Jeff trailed behind him, looking reluctant and annoyed at the same time.

It wasn’t until the door finally clicked shut that Jensen let out a relieved sigh. The lighting in the room stilled and Jensen finally felt like he could actually _meet_ Jared.

“Hey Jared,” he said softly. He didn’t expect a response and headed over to the empty chair beside Jared’s. It wasn’t the most comfortable chair and Jensen fidgeted a little until he felt the strange sensation of someone staring at him.

Jared’s eyes reminded Jensen of stained glass. There were little patterns of color in the irises like his body hadn’t been able to choose quite the right tint. His cheeks were tinged pink, the bone structure under his skin was angled and masculine even as it was softened by the gentle slope of his eyes. Jared’s was an unusual face, but Jensen would be lying if he claimed not to enjoy looking at the man.

“Jared. My name is Jensen. But you probably know that.” Jensen had read some tricks in Misha’s extensive notes and he held his hand up, palm toward Jared. Barely perceptible wrinkles appeared on Jared’s forehead and disappeared quickly; he too held up his hand and pressed his palm to Jensen’s.

There was a sweet rush of heat dashing across Jensen’s body and he smiled shyly. “You have long fingers.”

His own palm was wider than Jared’s. There was something graceful, find about Jared’s long fingers. “I’m a Dreamskimmer. I’m going to see if I can come and find you in your dreams. Do you think that will be okay?”

Even though Jensen didn’t expect an answer, he always needed to ask the question.

The only sign that Jared was even alive was the slow and intermittent fall of his lashes to his cheeks. Each blink seemed almost sluggish, too slow to be normal. Before he could get too caught up in his thoughts, Jensen smiled again and dropped his hand. Jared’s hand returned to his own lap and they just stared at each other for a while.

“I hope you’re in there,” Jensen murmured.

The only sign that Jared might be there was the slow blinking of his eyes every so often. His lashes were long, but light, and Jensen wanted to run his finger along them. There was no reason for Jensen to wait except for the lingering doubt he’d found himself contending with. There were a lot of people worried about Jared.

“Okay. We should get this show on the road.” Jensen stood and hovered near Jared’s shoulder for a few moments before remembering that he would have to guide Jared to the Slegg.

Running back over Misha’s notes in his mind, Jensen pressed his lips tight together. He reached out and squeezed Jared’s shoulder. “C’mon, let’s get settled for the evening.”

With no hesitation, Jared stood and as Jensen watched the man unfold from the chair, he realized how tall he was. Jared’s nose was level with Jensen’s cheekbone and warm breath on his skin made Jensen shiver. He’d never worked with anyone he’d been attracted to before. It wasn’t likely to be a problem but Jared wasn’t the sort of dreamer Jensen was accustomed to. That was a truth in more than one way, though.

It was easy for Jensen’s hand to fit over Jared’s hip. It fit there perfectly; just the right heat. Heat that was radiating Jared’s body; sweat was beading on his forehead. there was a rub of color across the height of Jared’s cheek bones. It made him look as though he might be about to say something.

But he wasn’t about so speak and that was exactly why Jensen was there.

Reluctantly, Jensen moved his hand to circle Jared’s wrist and tug him into motion. Just as Misha had written a hundred times, Jared moved. A sadness pulled at Jensen. Someone that beautiful shouldn’t be locked away from the world. His eyes widened and he shook his head. Unattainable people were something of a specialty for Jensen.

The Slegg swung as they stopped in front of it. Jensen flipped the lock switch and it held still. “Inside, Jared.”

Jared didn’t actually move until Jensen’s hand settled on the small of his back. Jensen applied a little pressure and Jared stepped up and into the hanging sleep pod. Before he could think anymore, Jensen climbed in. The soft warmth of the sleep padding soothed his nerves immediately. The Slegg was really Jensen’s second home, had been since the moment he’d first seen one.

“We should get comfortable,” Jensen mumbled. It was strange being around someone who didn’t answer him at all. Had he not read test results proving the opposite, he might have actually wondered if Jared slept at all.

Jared made no movement to lie down. He was, in fact, still kneeling beside the entrance to the pod. “Jared?”

There hadn’t been a section in Misha’s notes on how to get Jared to lie down with him, for obvious reasons. It was a problem that hadn’t come up for Jensen before. Most potential dreamers climbed into the Slegg and settled down to sleep immediately. _Most_ people, though knew that the Slegg was designed to ease people toward a rested sleep. _Most_ people, but not Jared.

Taking a chance, Jensen lay down on his side and extended his hand to Jared. Sure enough, Jared’s warm fingers slipped across Jensen’s palm and he crawled forward to lie down in a mirror of Jensen’s pose.

A smile had made its way onto Jensen’s lips but it was awe more than anything else. Jared was so trusting. Or maybe he wasn’t. Maybe there was no thought going into it at all. The theories that were twisting and turning through Jensen’s mind were really just a way to put off finding out some real answers. He wasn’t sure why he too had fallen prey to Jared’s silent pull. But there it was.

“I don’t know if you can understand me, Jared. But I’m gonna tell you about what’s going to happen. I’m sure Misha told you that its all up to you. You have the power to let me in if you think you can trust me.” Jensen sighed. His eyelids were already beginning to feel heavy.

A blink was the only movement Jared made. Their hands were still pressed together and Jensen tightened his grip.

“Jared? I’m going to hold your hand. When I’m trying to make the first contact it can help.” Strictly speaking, there wasn’t a lot of proof that physical contact improved the probability of a successful skim. _Strictly_ speaking. It couldn’t hurt. It very much _didn’t_ hurt. It actually felt entirely too familiar; a strange sensation for Jensen.

“You might notice me - maybe feel some kind of presence. Some people have described it as a kind of pressure. Just _let_ me in. It won’t hurt you in any way. I’ll only be able to see what you allow me to.”

Another blink and Jared’s body seemed to be succumbing to the modified environment in the Slegg. His cheeks had a rosy glow to them and his lips parted slightly as his muscles began to relax.

Jensen stared openly, the more he looked into Jared’s eyes, the more convinced he became they were about a million different colors. He could lose a lot of time drowning in those pools of color. “Jared? Just relax and when you feel sleepy, just go with it. I’ll be there if I can.”


	2. Chapter 2

It was dark. It was dark and cold and Jensen began to shiver as soon as he was aware of himself again. Even though he hadn’t opened his eyes yet he could feel a biting wind and half expected to be standing on the side of a mountain.

Concentrating on loosening his hold on his own mind, Jensen tried to focus on all the new sensations. There was a familiar scent in the air; it was almost heavy enough to taste. Metal and sweet whirled around him. _Night at a carnival_. Cotton candy sticky fingers clinging to old metal safety bars on the ferris wheel. It was a strange childhood smell and left Jensen feeling uneasy. There was always a bit of an eerie feeling at carnivals no matter how familiar they were.

A stronger shudder ran down Jensen’s body; so strong it almost hurt. He forced himself to open his eyes.

As his lashes fluttered, the dream appeared to him in flashes. It was incomplete, at first, like a puzzle with missing pieces. Slowly, as Jensen managed to suspend his _disbelief_ , free his mind, the dream settled around him. For a few moments he felt off kilter, like he was standing on a raked stage. And then the pendulum swing of Jared’s dream began to lessen.

He looked around slowly. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. It was a bad sign. Dreams were usually places people _wanted_ to be, at the very least places that weren’t threatening. It just didn’t seem very safe.

It seemed like Jensen was in a long hallway. He couldn’t see far. It just gave him the sensation of empty space ahead of him and behind him. He stretched his arms out and felt a wall then stepped closer to it to regain his bearings. Not the most pleasant dream he’d ever skimmed by far.

“Where are you?” Jensen murmured. His voice fell flat, almost as though the sound was soaked up by a sponge. He was accustomed to that. As much as his brain was trained to perceive the dream world as _real_ there were some things that were constant. Sound was dull and lifeless because the environment existed only in the dreamer’s mind.

Feeling his way along the wall, Jensen moved forward slowly. As he adjusted to the darkness, he could see more. The hallway was long, just as he’d thought. It seemed to stretch on ahead of him as far as he could see. There was a soft, flickering light coming from a door up ahead on his right.

Jensen took a deep breath and headed toward the light. As he drew closer he could smell something, an oily smoke. Candles, maybe.

He peered around the door frame. He was right; there were a few short white candles burning on an old table by a window. There was no view through it; black panes of glass made it impossible to see anything.

Jensen shivered again as he stepped into the room. It could just be that the whole thing was a little out of the ordinary but he couldn’t avoid the nagging feeling that he was being watched.

“Jared, where are you?” Jensen’s voice was a whisper. He knew that no one could hear him when he skimmed dreams but it made him feel a little better to hear his own voice. He half-believed it helped to soothe the dreamer, slowly accustoming them to his presence.

The wind seemed to blow stronger down the hallway and Jensen stepped further into the room to avoid the chill. The candle flames all flickered and it caused the strangest ballet of shadows on the walls. Darks and lights collided and split apart as the flames fought to stay alight.

It felt weird to be there alone and yet not alone, and Jensen looked around the room again. There was only the table by the covered window, and then he noticed a door about halfway along the back wall.

He moved carefully across the room, still listening intently for any sign of Jared. The sound of footsteps off in the distance gave him pause. He tilted his head. They were coming from somewhere down the hall. “Jared?”

He managed one more step and then he was violently yanked sideways by an iron grip on his wrist. It was automatic to take a swing at whoever had grabbed him but he was yanked harder and even though his fist connected with what felt like a jaw there was little power behind it.

His stomach flipped as he felt himself completely pulled off balance. His knee slammed hard into the floor and hands clawed at his t-shirt until he was held in vice-like, strong arms. There was a creak and Jensen realized the closet door was closing. The last of the candlelight all but disappeared as the door clicked shut.

Jensen struggled in his captor’s arms and then he remembered the footsteps. “Jared.”

A huge paw of a hand slammed hard over Jensen’s mouth and his fingers curled over the firm arm trying to pry it loose.

Panic started to gather in Jensen’s throat and for the first time ever he realized the he could die and it would all be because he was cocky. His heart rattled around in his ribcage and he twisted in his captor’s hold. He was having trouble breathing through his nose, his muffled pleas seemingly unheeded.

And then he stilled. Soft lips brushed against the curve of his ear; hot breath nearly a shudder. “Be quiet,” a voice whispered. “He’ll hear you.”

Jensen was about a heartbeat away from bailing from the dream. He was pretty sure that no one was worth being attacked. 

A cheek pressed against Jensen’s ear and then the lips were back. “I’m Jared. I won’t hurt you. Trust me.”

 _That_ surprised Jensen. The words had what Jensen assumed was the desired effect and he relaxed in Jared’s arms. He was pretty certain Jared wouldn’t hurt him.

“Shhh.” 

Jared’s arms cinched tighter but the hand slipped from Jensen’s mouth to press over his racing heart.

The footsteps grew louder and Jensen could feel Jared’s entire body begin to tremble. There was a shuffling sound, and the floorboards creaked under the stranger’s weight.

Jensen’s breaths were shallow and he covered Jared’s hand with his own as he listened. For the space of a few heartbeats, all he could hear was a faint hissing in his ears. 

The footsteps started again and sounded as though they moved over to the candles. Jared buried his face in the crook of Jensen’s neck and, for some reason, everything suddenly hit Jensen.

What if Jared had been terrified all those years? What if he’d been hiding and running; living in a maze of nightmares and bad dreams. It was a horrifying thought.

The footsteps circled the room once, stopped near the closet and shifted slightly. Jared’s grip tightened until Jensen felt his ribs grind together. He curled his arm around Jared’s knee and held on.

Jensen knew he could bail in seconds if he had to but Jared was stuck there. It felt horrible. He leaned in to Jared as the floorboards creaked again and then the steps began to retreat.

The further away the footsteps got, the more pronounced Jared’s trembling seemed.

Jensen had no idea how long they’d been crammed into the bottom of the closet. But by the time the footsteps disappeared Jensen’s back was starting to ache.

He shifted slightly and felt Jared jump. “Sorry,” Jensen whispered. “Is … he gone?” He? It? Jensen had very little to go on.

There was nothing but silence for a while and then Jared raised his head and let his arms fall away from Jensen’s body. “For now. If you go now he won’t find you.”

Then something else hit Jensen square in the chest. Tendrils of anxiety slipped icicle cold into the sinews of Jensen’s chest. Jared shouldn’t acknowledge him in such a straightforward manner unless … his breath hitched and he felt his eyes open wider in the darkness. _Jared_ was speaking to him. That meant Jared was a Telpat. It also meant that Jensen was lucky his brains weren’t scrambled eggs or his heart turned inside out in his chest.

His entire body jerked into motion as his instincts took over. He had to breathe, relax, sever the connection and get out of the dream as soon as possible.

“Who are you?” Jared’s soft voice stilled Jensen almost instantly. He focused on trying to lower his heart rate. The calmer he could be when he broke the connection, the better chances were that they would both wake unscathed.

His silence must have worried Jared. “Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

There was something about that voice that made Jensen frown; his chest tightened and he sank back down onto the floor. “I’m Jensen,” he said quietly.

Jared shifted a little and reached up to push the door open a few inches. The light from the candles crept into the closet and Jensen was finally able to make out Jared’s features.

“Sorry for that, Jensen.” Jared gestured weakly towards the room and shrugged a shoulder. “I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

There was still fear in Jared’s eyes; a sheen of sweat covered his pale skin and he licked his lips nervously.

“It’s alright. I mean-” Jensen half smiled and shifted his leg to try and relieve the ache in his back. “Are you okay?”

“Me?” Jared looked a little taken aback. “I. I’m okay. Almost knocked my teeth out on your fist though.”

Jensen let out a surprised laugh, then dropped his gaze quickly. _What_ the _Hell_ was he doing? He was breaking nearly every rule of Dreamskimming. Jared was a Telepath. Not only could he read thoughts when he was awake - within his dream he was an unknown quantity. He could have amazing control over the dreams. He could, without much effort, get into Jensen’s mind and leave a whirlwind of damage behind him.

But. There was something in Jared’s eyes that held Jensen there in the middle of that crazy scenario.

Jared let out a sigh and slid his fingers over Jensen’s forearm. “You should go. You know, while it’s safe.”

Jensen knew he should go. He should get his ass out of there as soon as possible, tell Jeff it was too dangerous, tell them to find another way to help Jared.

The problem was that Jensen doubted there _was_ any more help for someone as lost as Jared.

“I will. Soon,” Jensen said. It looked to him as though Jared relaxed slightly. “How ‘bout you?”

Cocking his head to the side, Jared frowned and looked puzzled. “What?”

“Did you get hurt? You know, other than the teeth thing?”

Jared’s smile warmed as it grew. “I’m good.”

“He’s gone for now?”

Jared nodded but his smile wavered, then faded.

“Who is he, anyway?”

Jared looked startled and frowned as he pulled back a little. “What? He’s. There’s. Well, he’s always been here.”

Jensen felt something uncomfortable tugging at his center of gravity. It was like there was a string tied around his heart. It was the pressure of Jared’s mind; his will to remain unquestioned asserting itself.

With a smile on his face, Jensen turned into Jared’s body slightly so he could make direct eye contact. “It’s okay, Jared. You don’t have to talk about it.” _Yet_.

As Jared’s shoulders seemed to relax slightly; the pressure tugging at Jensen’s chest also lessened. He filed away information about how everything worked; pages in the _Jared_ instruction manual.

For some reason, a barely-visible flush was creeping up Jared’s neck. The young man dropped his gaze. Nervous? Afraid? It was hard for Jensen to read him.

Jared shifted and his hair fell forward to reveal some dark bruising down the side of his neck; eventually disappearing under his t-shirt.

“Whoa,” Jensen reached out and slid his fingers the length of the bruising. “What happened?”

Jared’s eyes widened as he looked up quickly. His lips parted as though there was something he needed to say but he just remained silent.

A shiver skittered down Jensen’s spine. He was _touching_ the physical representation of someone in a dream. It was addictive and dangerous. As a Telpat, Jared had so much more control over the dream environment than Jensen had thought possible.

Their eyes met and Jensen smiled as his fingers moved over the smooth warmth of Jared’s skin. “It’s a bad bruise,” he finally murmured.

After a few moments, Jared simply nodded. He seemed almost afraid to move. His eyes were locked on Jensen’s, his gaze intense and dark.

“Jared?”

The slightly slanted eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly and Jared moved as though to pull away.

But Jensen let his palm settle on the firm warmth of Jared’s neck. “I just wanted to know how you got hurt.”

“It happens sometimes. Sometimes, he catches up with me. His hands are really strong.” Jared lowered his gaze again, hands twisting together in his lap.

“I’m sorry that happens to you,” Jensen said.

The strangest thing happened and more of the tension seemed to slide off Jared’s body. Maybe it was because Jensen hadn’t asked _why_ again. Maybe it had never occurred to Jared that it wasn’t something that should happen.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jensen saw the flutter of something and his heart rate sped up. He was losing his hold on the dream for some reason. It was like the world around him was pulling away from him at the edges; a photo peeling up at the corners.

He could feel the dream slipping away like grains of sand through his fingers. It didn’t feel as though Jared was pushing him away; he just wasn’t holding on to the connection as tightly.

“Jared? I’ll come back. As soon as I can,” Jensen promised.

A shy smile appeared on Jared’s face and he reached out a hand.

But when Jensen reached out he felt the sickening _drop_ as he fell from the dream. The last thing he saw was his fingers gliding through Jared’s palm as though they were both nothing but mist.

The slam back into his own body was more jarring than usual. Normally, as a simple observer, Jensen was able to disengage at a time of his own choosing; he’d be fully prepared.

The time, landing back in his body felt like an impact. For a few frightening moments he couldn’t breathe; his lungs ached but simply wouldn’t draw in air. Years of training had taught Jensen to fight panic; it wouldn’t do him any good. But he could feel an anxious flutter in his chest.

Finally, he gasped in a huge breath as his eyes opened wide. His chest heaved, the air felt too thick; his muscles felt too weak. And then things began to settle.

It was hard; the air felt rough as he managed to finally suck in a full breath. He gasped and then panted as his lungs tried to reclaim their usual rhythm. 

Propping himself up on his elbow, Jensen looked down at Jared’s face. The dreamer’s face was flushed, his brow furrowed and sweat had dampened the fringes of the man’s long hair.

The Slegg swung slightly and Misha’s worried face appeared in the opening. “What the _hell_ was that?”

Jensen looked back down at Jared for a moment then released his hold on the other man’s hand. Jared had held tight the entire time they’d been sleeping. For some reason, that made Jensen feel strange; a little off-kilter.

“We need to talk,” Misha said firmly.

Sighing, Jensen dragged a hand down his face. Clearly, there was going to be hell to pay.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

Misha was only able to keep Jim away from Jensen for twenty minutes. Jeff felt like he’d been more than patient. Jensen and Jared had slept for nearly two hours. When Jensen’s brain waves had finally changed and indicated contact, Jeff felt a little relieved. All the relief vanished when those same brain waves became completely irregular. Jeff had let Misha convince him to allow the skimming to continue. He wasn’t even sure why. If any harm had come to Jared it would be difficult for Jeff to decide who to punch first.

Twenty minutes after Jensen had woken up, Jeff was out of patience. As he strode down the hallway, he could hear Misha’s footsteps behind him. They were silent. Jeff could only feel the slow burn of frustration.

When they arrived back in the sleeping unit, Jensen was sitting at a small table by the Slegg.

“Where’s Jared?” Jeff growled as he strode into the room.

Jensen looked up then dropped his gaze quickly; no doubt because of the expression on Jeff’s face. “He’s still sleeping. I didn’t want to wake him yet.”

Misha turned a chair around across from Jensen and straddled it. “What happened?”

Jeff paced over to the Slegg and peered inside, finally feeling better once he could see the steady rise and fall of Jared’s chest.

“It went well,” Jensen said softly.

“Well?” Misha stared _hard_ at Jensen. “I saw the way you woke up.”

Jeff walked over to the remaining chair and sat down. Folding his arms across his chest he glared at Jensen. He’d been watching the read-out with Misha. He already knew that _Something_ had been strange. During a couple of the most erratic readings, Misha had only just managed to convince Jeff not to pull the plug.

“Don’t lie,” Jeff said thickly. “The readings were all over the place. We were about 30 seconds from pulling you out of there and I’m about 10 seconds from kicking your ass.”

“Jeff...” Misha held up his hand and Jeff turned his glare to his colleague.

“Don’t _Jeff_ me. This kid is arrogant and he only cares about himself. His brain waves were all over the place. Clearly, something went sideways and now he’s too stubborn to even admit it.”

“Are you done?” Jensen asked.

Taken aback, Jeff slammed his hand down on the desk. “Tell me what happened in there or I swear to-”

“Jeff,” Misha snapped. “That’s enough. This isn’t getting us anywhere.”

Jensen let out a long sigh and closed his eyes for a few moments before speaking. “He was there. It was a little strange at first. The dream was really bland, dark. Not the kind of place you’d choose to be.”

“If you had a choice,” Misha interjected.

Jensen nodded, carefully avoiding Jeff’s gaze. “He... he was hiding. There was this - I don’t know, a man, I think. I didn’t see him.”

“How did you not see him?” Jeff asked quickly. As a skimmer, Jensen should have been an omniscient presence in the dream; he _should_ have seen everything. “Isn’t this supposed to be like old-fashioned remote-viewing?”

MIsha sighed and Jeff shot him a glare before the counsellor said anything.

Jensen rubbed at his forehead and frowned. “It was - he was. He pulled me into a closet and-”

This time if was Misha who raised his voice. “He what?”

The look on Jensen’s face gave away that he clearly hadn’t planned on saying anything about _that_. Anger boiled hot in Jeff’s belly and he clenched his fists tightly to stop himself from reaching across the table and grabbing Jensen.

“Jesus Christ, Jensen,” murmured Misha in disbelief. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“Is _he_ okay?” Jeff stood and kicked his chair back. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take. 

“He’s fine,” Jensen blurted out. “He’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with him; I just left him sleeping peacefully.”

“Okay,” Misha said firmly. “You both need to calm down.”

“Calm down?” Jeff had reached his absolute limit. It had been a terrible idea and this just proved it.

“He’s a Tel-” Jensen sputtered out.

“He is _what_?” Misha held out his hand in front of Jeff as though he thought he may have to hold the man back.

Then the words began to filter through Jeff’s anger. _He was a Tel._ Jared was a Tel. Shock settled heavily on Jeff’s shoulders and he stumbled back towards his chair then sank down onto it. A Telepath. “All this time,” Jeff murmured.

“But...” MIsha frowned and reached out to press his fingers to the pulse point in Jensen’s neck.

Jensen brushed the counselor's hand away. “I’m fine.”

“We need a complete medical workup on you,” Misha said firmly. “Both of you. There... this is unprecedented.”

Jeff’s mind finally caught up. “You should have disconnected immediately. Why the hell did you stay there?”

Jensen lifted his gaze slowly and, for a moment, looked like he was going to speak. Then he simply shrugged and shook his head.

“Jesus Christ, Jensen. Misha! This is done. We’re done.” Jeff rubbed his forehead. Jared could be even worse off than he was before. And all because Jensen was too cocky to realize when he was in over his head.

Shoulders dropping, Misha nodded slightly and then turned back to Jensen. “I’m going to file a forced suspension with Jim. You need a complete workup and we need -”

“No!” Jensen looked startled by the force of his own shout.

For a few moments the room was silent. Jeff watched as Jensen’s expression morphed from surprise to certainty. 

“You can’t expose yourself to a Tel. You know that better than anyone, Jensen. The risks-”

“He’s terrified,” Jensen murmured. “He’s running from someone, something. I don’t know what. But he’s scared and he’s alone.”

Misha’s mouth fell open although he seemed unable to speak.

“He didn’t hurt me,” Jensen said more firmly. He turned to Jeff and pressed his lips into a tight smile. “Jeff, I stayed because he was scared and I could tell he didn’t want to hurt me.”

Something thick and weighty landed on Jeff’s chest. _God_. All those years Jared had been trapped in his own mind, terrified? What kind of an existence had been forced on Jared?”

As Jeff tried to sort through all the emotions he was facing he saw Jensen glance over at the Slegg. “Should we wake him?”

Something, not unlike _worry_ , was etched on Jensen’s face. And for the first time Jeff felt something other than animosity towards the young skimmer. Jeff nodded at Misha and the counsellor headed over to wake their young charge.

“I’m sorry,” Jeff said.

Jensen nodded but kept his eyes on Misha’s back as he murmured to Jared.

“You’re worried about him,” Jensen said finally.

“I am.”

Jensen finally met Jeff’s gaze. “Me too. I care about him. I can’t explain it, but he tried to protect me and he doesn’t even know me.” Jensen let out a shaky sigh. “I don’t even think he knows how powerful he is, but, I could just sense he wasn’t going to hurt me.”

Jeff had little choice but to believe Jensen. Skimming was a private world and something Jeff had never experienced at all. There was no reason for Jensen to lie and he didn’t come off as the kind of guy who felt _connections_ to people all the time.

Misha walked back to the table slowly with Jared trailing behind him.

Jeff had to admit that Jared seemed alright; but then, he always had. “Hey, Jared.”

Of course, Jared gave no sign he heard the greeting. But as he reached the table he veered off from Misha and went over to stand beside Jensen’s chair.

Everyone was silent, shocked. MIsha finally smiled and leaned across the table. “Jared?”

It was one of those annoying human qualities, hope. There was no reason to believe that one session with Jensen had made any real difference to Jared. 

Shrugging, Misha sat back.

Jensen turned slightly and smiled up at Jared.

Without looking down, Jared slid his fingers over Jensen’s on the arm of the chair.

“Jesus,” Jeff whispered.

“It could be just...” but Misha didn’t seem to have any explanations because he fell silent.

For his part, Jensen didn’t seem too surprised. He turned his hand to thread his fingers through Jared’s before pulling slightly to get the man to sit.

Speechless, Jeff stared across the table for any sign that Jared had made any other improvements but there was nothing. Jared had the same vacant stare that had become so familiar over the years.

Finally, Misha drew in a deep breath. “Okay, I still think we need to make sure you’re both alright.”

“And the forced suspension?” Jensen’s eyes widened hopefully and Jeff made note of the way the young man’s fingers tightened on Jared’s.

Jeff rolled his shoulders to try and rid himself of some tension. “Let’s see what the tests say.”

Jensen nodded but smiled slightly.

“And we need to update Jim,” Jeff added.

The slight smile faded from Jensen’s face and he pulled Jared’s hand a bit closer.

“But,” Jeff said as he glanced at Misha. “If you’re both alright, I can’t see any reason for a suspension. Maybe we can continue.”

It looked like Jensen let out a relieved sigh and the smile returned as he nodded.

The entire situation left Jeff feeling like he was just along for the ride. But there was something different about Jensen. The cockiness was gone - even though he still radiated confidence. Maybe Jared had reached _Jensen_.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

MIsha spent the better part of half an hour trying to convince Jensen to return to his own quarters and sleep. Jeff stood by, amused as he saw how stubborn Jensen was getting.

Jensen had made it very clear to MIsha that he didn’t want to leave Jared’s side while they were awake. No amount of logical reasoning from Misha influenced Jensen’s steadfast commitment to remain.

When Jeff had heard enough of their arguing he caught Misha’s eye and shrugged. There didn’t seem to be any reason to carry on opposing something so selfless.

Jensen offered to take Jared outside to sit in the rose garden. It was, after all, he assured the two older men, a beautiful day.

Misha and Jeff _may_ have walked back to their offices far slower than they normally would and that _may_ have been because they could see Jared and Jensen through the glass hall windows.

Halfway down the hall Misha stopped and stared at the two young men. Jeff gave up the pretense of being disinterested and followed MIsha’s gaze.

Jensen settled Jared on the bench in the middle of the rose garden. He smiled, sat down beside Jared and pulled out his tablet. When Jensen’s lips began to move Jeff let out a surprised huff. 

“He’s reading to him,” Misha said.

“Yup.”

“Didn’t see that coming.”

“Nope.”

“So. Is this actually going to work or are we all going to end up with nothing more than dashed hopes?” Misha turned as he spoke.

“I wish I knew the answer to that,” Jeff said quietly. “Jared’s workin’ some magic on that skimmer though.”

Misha shook his head as he chuckled. “Guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

It took forty-eight hours to get a full scan done on both Jared and Jensen and Jensen was frustrated. He knew he was fine but he had to sit around and wait for doctors to tell him he was.

He’d spent as much time with Jared as he’d been allowed. At first, it had been a battle but then, for some reason, Jeff seemed to take Jensen’s side. He didn’t understand it at all, but he was prepared to take advantage of it.

The other thing that Jensen couldn’t explain was how easy it was to spend time with Jared.

At first, Jensen had thought it would be tricky. But, the short interaction he’d had with the man in his dream had given him a taste of the _real_ person. He decided to just behave as though Jared could hear him. Maybe he could. No one could prove otherwise.

Most times, when Jared was near Jensen he would reach out and twine their fingers together. Every time the hand-holding was instigated by Jared it felt like a milestone. It always made Jensen smile.

He liked to take Jared out to the rose garden. It was beautiful, the floral scent almost overwhelming in the later afternoon sun. But Jared would sit there on the bench and draw in deep, slow breaths. Jensen thought that was a good sign.

He and Jared were seated in the middle of the circles of roses one afternoon when Misha found them.

“Have you gotten Jared doing his garden work?”

Jensen started at the sound of the counsellor’s voice. He frowned. _Work_. “I didn’t know that he had work.”

Misha nodded and held his hand out to Jared. Immediately, Jared pulled his hand free of Jensen’s and took Misha’s. They moved over to the Covenant roses and Jared started to pull the dried leaves off the bushes.

Misha walked back to the bench and took Jared’s spot. “I think he likes the roses.”

“He breathes deeper,” Jensen murmured. He watched as Jared’s long fingers so precisely removed the withered leaves and petals.

“He does?”

Jensen nodded. “As soon as we sit down here, he starts to take really deep breaths, slow. Kind of like he’s savoring it.” He glanced at Misha out of the corner of his eye then looked away quickly when he realized the counsellor was staring.

“I didn’t notice that,” MIsha finally said.

Shrugging, Jensen smiled over in Jared’s direction. “He seems to calm down when he’s with me too. His pulse rate slows. That Doc in the medical bay even said that Jared’s blood pressure went down when I came in to sit with him.”

“Jensen-”

“I know,” Jensen said quickly. “Jeff’s already told me that _correlation doesn’t imply causation_ stuff and Jim said I could be projecting. Interpreting things conveniently.”

Nodding slowly, Misha smiled. “While those are possibilities, I was just going to say that I hope you don’t get hurt at the end of all this.” 

Jensen turned quickly to face Misha. “Hurt?”

“Things may not turn out the way we’re hoping. If Jared doesn’t find a way out-”

“I will help him.” Jensen felt something similar to fear clawing at his defences. “I can reach him; I just need to know what to do. How do I get him out? What do I say?”

Misha rubbed a hand down over his face and left his knuckles pressed to his mouth for a while. “We’re all flying blind here, Jensen. We had to do a fair amount of persuading with Jim just to get him to agree to let you continue working with Jared.”

Jensen didn’t miss the fact that Misha had used the past tense. “Wait. He said yes? Jim said yes?”

Nodding, Misha grasped Jensen’s forearm gently like he thought he would take off. “Jensen?”

Tugging his gaze away from Jared, Jensen looked at the counsellor’s worried features. “Yeah?”

“Try and establish if Jared has the control in his dreams. That might help.”

“How?”

“Be subtle. Suggest you like something... colors or would like to be in a certain environment. See if he’s able to change it.”

Jensen nodded, feeling an affection for Misha he hadn’t felt before. 

“And the hardest thing. Try to get him to talk about the night his parents died.”

Jensen rubbed his damp palms on his thighs. It seemed cruel to have to make Jared relive that night. “Okay.”

“We have the files. We’ve read the police reports. We know some of what happened that night but we have no idea what Jared saw or felt. None.”

Nodding, Jensen stood and he couldn't’ help smiling when Jared stood at the same time.

Misha smiled warmly. “The tests on both of you came back fine. So you and Jared can try again when you’re ready.”

Relief warmed Jensen’s body like a flush. He hadn’t been able to face the possibility that he might be kept away from Jared. “Thank you.”

-=-=-=-

The dream seemed to draw Jensen in. It was like being slowly submerged into warm water; a steady sinking as he slipped from his own mind.

As Jared's dream began to become clearer, Jensen focussed on his breathing: slow and steady. He cast his gaze around him as the dream wavered and rippled around him.

He was in a different place. Sadly, the feel was the same, the colors had faded away on the walls that were becoming clearer. There was an almost threadbare carpet on the floor. It was a hallway, maybe in a house. Jensen wished he had looked up the Padalecki family home.

There was a flickering light mounted on the wall and Jensen moved towards it instinctively. "Jared?"

Nothing but silence greeted him and for the first time, Jensen worried that he may not be able to reach Jared a second time. It hadn't occurred to him that Jared might hide away from the contact. The _touches_ , the way he followed Jared; that had to mean something.

"Jared?" Tilting his head slightly. Jensen listened intently for any sign that he wasn't alone. Admittedly, he was a little worried that Jared's _monster_ might appear at any moment. His nerves were strung bow tight. "Jare?"

There was a noise further down the hall and Jensen peered towards it. There was a thump and something sounded like it was being shifted and then Jensen _felt_ Jared.

There was no other way for Jensen to describe the sensation. It was _almost_ weight against his chest, a warm hand curling around his spine and squeezing. It was something decidedly Jared and Jensen couldn't help smiling. "Jared?"

"Shhh," came a whisper from somewhere in the shadows.

Jensen stepped closer to the wall instinctively.

And then Jared emerged from the darkness at the end of the hall.

"You came back," Jared said in a near-whisper.

"I said I would." Jensen's smile widened. Jared remembered him. That was a good sign.

Taking a step forward, Jared returned the smile. "I'm glad."

"Listen. Is there somewhere safe we can talk?"

"Safe?" Jared's brow furrowed and he looked a little puzzled.

"You know. Somewhere _he_ won't-"

"Oh," Jared interrupted. "He, well. There's. I can…" He let out a sigh as he seemed to struggled for the right words. "Yes."

When Jared held out his hand Jensen took it and let himself be pulled towards the shadows. It was still so strange to be touched in someone's dream but Jensen couldn't help noticing how it felt almost exactly the same as touching Jared while they were awake.

"Come with me," Jared said quietly as they moved into the dimly lit hall.

Off in the distance, Jensen could see another wall sconce emitting a small circle of light. The hall seemed to go on forever, carpet running ahead like a path.

Before they were in the next circle of light Jared stopped and let go of Jensen's hand. There was a small click and then the sound of wood sliding, machinery of some type. Finally, there was a thump and Jensen's eyes had finally adjusted to allow him to see what looked like a sliding attic ladder. He hadn't seen one of those, while he was awake, in years.

"Go up; I'll follow," Jared said as his fingers curled around Jensen's upper arm. He gave a gentle push.

Grasping one of the rungs, Jensen stepped up onto the ladder. He moved up quickly, feeling the ladder shudder as Jared began climbing. When he emerged into the darkness above it felt warmer, dryer, somehow older.

"Just sit to the side," Jared whispered from below.

Reaching out blindly, Jensen slid his hands along the warmth of a wooden floor then pulled himself up. He crouched there, listening as he heard Jared moving.

A match hissed and flared to a bright light for a moment and Jensen squinted until the brightness faded. As he watched, Jared lit a candle then moved over to sit down with Jensen. "Is this okay?"

A little surprised at the question, Jensen smiled and then nodded. "Sure. It's - what about the ladder?"

Jared glanced over at the trap door then back at Jensen. "It's gone now."

"Gone? Where?" Jensen remember Misha's advice: watch to see how much control Jared had over the dream environment.

Smiling, Jared glanced away. "It's gone. He can't come here, Jensen."

"Yeah?" Brushing some dust off his hands, Jensen settled back against the wall.

"Why did you come back?"

"I thought maybe you needed someone. That maybe I could help you." He could sense Jared's eyes on him.

"Help?"

"Have you always been here, Jared?" It was bold; Jensen knew it but patience had never been his strength.

"Of course not. But, you know. Things change. What about you?"

When Jensen looked up he was captured for a moment by the way the candlelight reflected in Jared's dark eyes.

"I'd never seen you before and now you're here again," Jared said. "Where have you been?"

Jensen dragged his teeth over his bottom lip and reached out to catch a drop of melted wax on his fingertip. It was one of the _turning points_ in the conversation.

"I was asked to come and find you, Jared." Jensen saw the expression on Jared's face harden slightly.

"Who asked you?"

"Jeff. Jeff and Misha."

"Misha," Jared repeated slowly. The frown lines on his brow relaxed. "I thought you just found me. _Wanted_ to find me."

Jensen's eyes widened a little as he reached out for Jared's hand quickly. "I did. I do. I came back this time because I wanted to." He shrugged, unsure how to even begin to explain the strange pull he felt to Jared.

"I feel like…" Jared began hesitantly. "I feel like I know you, maybe from somewhere else."

"Yes," Jensen said firmly. It might not be wise for him to give Jared too much information but he could, at least, tell the man when he was right. "We've spent time together."

"Good," Jared answered. He sounded relieved and a smile spread across his face. "I thought - I mean, it feels _right_. You being here."

When Jared looked away as though he'd embarrassed himself with his admission, Jensen squeezed his hand. "The world isn't all that big in the end."

Jared's gaze lifted. "MIne sure isn't."

"Do you have to stay here?" 

Wide with surprise, Jared's eyes glistened in the candlelight. He was silent for a few moments, staring at Jensen's face as though he was trying to memorize it. His voice was soft when he finally spoke.

"Jensen? I don't think I know how to leave here."

The way Jensen's heart was pounding in his ears he was surprised he was still _in_ the dream. If he wasn't careful, Misha would pull the plug. "Maybe I can help you, Jared."

Simple words. Six simple words that might change the course of Jared's life. _If_ Jared were able to trust Jensen. It was huge. Jared had been taking care of himself for years, the only way he knew how. Jensen couldn't even offer a guarantee. He could only offer Jared a chance, and a slim one at that.

Jared nodded and turned his hand so his long fingers could encircle Jensen's wrist. "I would like that."

Once Jensen realized he wasn't going to be ejected from the dream, he allowed himself to relax slightly. He'd been right; Jared meant him no harm. A small bloom of hope sparked to life in his chest.

Tugging slightly, Jensen urged Jared a bit closer. The shuffling sounds they made were muffled in the dark warmth of the attack. "Do you remember when you first came here, Jared?"

Jensen smiled, thumb smoothing over the warmth of Jared's wrist. Beside him, Jared trembled slightly. Turning slowly, Jensen shifted closer. The heat radiating off Jared's body was a little hard to ignore. Jensen stretched his leg out under Jared's; it was like they were enveloped in their own private cocoon. 

"I've been here a long time."

Jensen knew what that meant. The dream world that Jared had so carefully constructed had been his home since the crime he'd witnessed. Since the death of his parents.

For a fleeting instant Jensen wished that Misha could be there to help him choose the right words. But then Jared's broad hands were sliding flat against Jensen's back.

Jensen let himself be pulled closer; wrapped up in _Jared_. He ignored the buzz of warning in his mind. Oh, he knew he shouldn't allow himself to get close to Jared. Within the dream, touching someone was new for both of them. As _right_ as it felt it could derail things quickly.

"Jared-"

"I know. I'm … I have no right. I've been alone but I feel like, I feel like…"

Jared's whisper faded away as he buried his face in Jensen's neck.

"Jared." Jensen wasn't sure what he was even trying to say. He felt a little lost. The warmth of Jared's body felt so real but he knew it was just a representation.

"I feel like I know you," Jared murmured against Jensen's neck.

The touch of smooth lips sent a shiver running down Jensen's body. Unconsciously, he cinched his arms tighter around Jared. "You _do_ know me," he whispered.

It took the span of a few heartbeats for Jensen to realize what he'd said. But he believed it. Somehow, Jared's mind was absorbing what he experienced both awake and asleep. The two worlds were bleeding into one another like an ink splotch bleeding through onto the next page.

Under his hands, he could feel Jared's shoulders stiffen. After a deep breath Jared pulled away slightly. "What do you mean? How can I know you?"

The walls in the dim attic shimmered around them then stilled. Jensen let his gaze scan the area around them before focusing back in on Jared.

"Jared. Just stay calm, okay?" Again, Jensen felt like a fish out of water, But he'd opened a door and felt like he had to go through it. On the other hand, he could push Jared too far and end up straining their bond.

"Calm?" The look on Jared's face was anything but calm. His fingers were curled over Jensen's shoulders tightly but he hadn't moved any further away.

"Do you remember anything from when you first got here? What was it like?” Jensen was careful; he knew he was walking a razor-thin line.

Jared's eyes were wide and Jensen could see the pulse fluttering in his neck. The candlelight reflected off tiny beads of sweat on Jared's forehead. He was getting too stressed.

"Jared, you don't have to tell me. If you can't remember it's fine. It won't matter."

Continuing to stare into Jensen's eyes, Jared still held on tight. There was no indication on his face that he remembered anything.

Once more, Jensen found himself wishing that Misha could be there. This wasn't the kind of interaction that Jensen was used to. He was an observer, not a participant

"Are you going to leave again?"

Jared's question wasn't a surprise. He'd spent most of his life alone. Jensen pressed his hand to Jared's chest, right over his heart. "I can't stay here all the time, Jared. It's dangerous for me. _But_ , I will do my best to keep coming here. I promise you that."

The expression on Jared's face smoothed into something more relaxed. The muscles in his shoulders seemed to loosen a little. "Okay."

The softly spoken word put a smile on Jensen's face. Maybe it was because each word reminded him that he was speaking to a dreamer. Maybe it was just Jared. "Can you tell me one memory you have, Jared? Anything. You pick the time it's from."

Jensen hoped that a less specific question might feel better to Jared, more along the lines of something that he was able to answer.

"I - I remember my mama," Jared said quietly. He'd leaned into Jensen as though it was a secret Jared needed no one else to know.

"And your Dad?" _Distract_ Jared so he doesn't realize how much information he'd giving up. Jared nodded mutely.

"You must miss them," Jensen said. He let the pad of his thumb slide along Jared's jawline.

The wide eyes gentled as though the touch soothed him. Jared's lashes fell to his cheeks. "I miss them."

"It's hard being away from family."

"It is." Jared blinked a few times and then leaned forward to whisper against Jensen's cheek. "But now I have you."

The attic felt too close and Jensen froze. The heat that was winding its way through his body was unmistakable but all those mental alarms were going off again.

Turning his head slowly, Jensen let his nose brush along Jared's high cheekbone. "Do you want to leave here, Jared?"

Jared's hand slide down Jensen's side; he was trembling. "Jensen? I should. I should. I would like to be somewhere else, sometimes."

Jensen's heart jumped in his chest and he pressed his hand against Jared's back to hold him close. "Do you know where you are, Jared?"

"Away." Turning slightly, Jared rubbed his cheek against Jensen's.

All the rules and training; all of Jensen's experience and he had no idea how to deal with Jared. Being able to touch someone within a dream was still something that Jensen couldn't help but think of as a fairy tale, a myth.. Yet, here he was with Jared in his arms. _Jared_.

"Yes, Jared." Jensen's voice was low and soft and seemed dulled by the attic. "Do you remember why you went away?"

A small gasp left Jared's mouth and a shudder ran down his entire body. " _He_ was there."

The whisper was so quiet that Jensen was barely able to hear it. _He_? The man in the room that Jared had saved him from. "Was he at your home, Jared?"

When Jared next spoke, his lips moved ever-so-slightly against Jensen's cheek. "Yes. He was there. _He_ was there."

The blood that was racing through Jensen's veins ran cold as ice. _He_ had to be the person who murdered Jared's parents. _God_ , for the first time Jensen's found himself hoping that it could all work out. Maybe he really could get Jared to emerge from the dream.

"Jared. What did he do? Was he at your home? Did he hurt your parents?"

Another shudder rippled down Jared's body. He pressed his lips to the corner of Jensen's mouth. It was gentle, full of fear; it was a thank-you and a warning all in one. "Don't make me remember."

"But I _want_ you to," Jensen said. And he realized that he did. He wanted Jared to open his eyes in the other world. If someone were there to ask him about it, he couldn't have said why or when things had changed. But, it seemed like the most important thing in the world that he get Jared to tell his story.

"He'll come back," Jared said. It was so close to a whimper that Jensen's heart clenched. So tall and so strong and Jared was terrified. Jensen wanted to find the murderer and tear him apart - limb from limb.

"He can't hurt you anymore, Jared. Can you tell me about the first night _he_ came?" Jensen turned and slid a hand over Jared's cheek. He wanted Jared to see his eyes; he wanted him to know that he was there for him.

Jared's shuddering had grown into an incessant trembling. He had closed his eyes and Jensen could see how tightly his jaw was clenched. It was as though he was trying to keep all the words inside.

"Please, Jared. I want you to come with me." The instant the words were spoken, Jensen knew it was a bad move. Even in the best possible circumstances he couldn't take Jared _with_ him. 

It got Jared's attention though; his eyes opened and his gaze fixed on Jensen.

"I can't."

"You can, Jared. We can work on it together." _Strike while the iron is hot_. "What happened the night you came here?"

Jared was getting restless. His body seemed coiled up like he was ready to flee at any moment. Slowly, he began to shake his head.

"You could come with me, Jared. You could live a normal life, but _listen_ to me." Jensen wasn't sure he had Jared's attention anymore; the dreamer seemed too scattered, his eyes darting around the attic in fear.

" _He'll_ come, Jensen. Stop. You have to stop."

"You said we were safe here," Jensen reminded the frightened young man.

"It's not that simple." There was a look of sheer terror on Jared's face.

"Jared, please. Stay calm and listen to my voice. We're _safe_ here. You said we were safe here." He was beginning to feel a little twinge of guilt for the way he was pushing Jared. The man was clearly terrified, and yet, he still clung to Jensen like he was his touchstone. Of _course_ he was; Jensen was the only other person in Jared's dream for years.

Jensen was pulled from his thoughts by Jared's warm lips ghosting over his cheek. "You'll leave if _he_ comes," Jared whispered plaintively.

"That's not true. I'll always come back, Jared. Now I know where to find you, it's much easier. He can't keep me from getting here."

In the warmth of the dark attic, Jared's skin began to feel cool to the touch. Jensen ran a hand down Jared's bare flesh, fingers lingering on his pulse point. Even the dream representation of Jared had a heartbeat like a jackrabbit.

Jensen leaned back so he could curve both hands over Jared's flushed cheeks. The walls around them wavered in the dim light from the candle. Jensen stroked his thumbs over Jared's cheeks. "You're safe here with me, Jared."

Jared didn't look completely convinced but the dream became still around them once more. "Jared. Just tell me a little about the night you came here. _He_ was there, wasn't he?"

Nodding slightly, Jared closed his eyes. "He came into the house in the middle of the night."

As exciting as Jared's admission was, Jensen tried to stay calm. The last thing he wanted was for Misha to think there was something wrong with their connection because _both_ their hearts were racing.

"What happened, Jared?" Jensen leaned in and brushed his lips over Jared's. It was gentle, sweet and Jared's lips were cooler than he expected. The surprising thing was the warmth that radiated out from it. Jensen felt it everywhere.

"He came in. I was sleeping on my parents' floor. I wasn't supposed to do that anymore. Dad said I was old enough not to."

Maybe Jensen didn't have kids but he wasn't sure how anyone could say that to a frightened child. "It's okay, Jared."

But Jared's head was shaking back and forth. "No, Jensen. He. He woke everyone up. He had a gun…”

 _A gun._ This was the actual crime that Jared was talking about. This was the time when things would be the most dangerous for both of them. "You must have been scared."

"I was terrified," Jared said softly.

The walls rippled suddenly as though they were no more than a reflection on the surface of a still lake. Jensen leaned in once more and kissed the corner of Jared's mouth. "What else happened? Did he hurt you?"

Jared shook his head as much as he was able to in Jensen's grasp. "My mom and dad were in bed. He woke them. He kept them there at gunpoint.”

The flickering flame on the candle lengthened impossibly and Jensen could feel the dream slipping. It was all dangerously close to going off the rails.

"Did you talk to him?" Jensen asked.

The walls shook like an earthquake was rattling the entire planet. Something fell behind them and Jared's body jumped. He twisted in Jensen's grasp and stared off into the darkness. "He's going to find us."

"No, you said we were safe, Jared. Remember? Tell me, did you talk to him?"

Nodding, Jared lifted a shaking hand and grabbed a handful of Jensen's shirt. "I did, I chose. I told him my answer."

"What?" Jensen studied Jared's face for answers but all he could see was fear.

The floor rumbled under them and a huge crack began to snap and pop its way down the wall behind Jared. "God, Jared. It's okay. We're okay. What did you answer?"

Jensen was losing control fo the situation, not that he'd ever had it. Jared held both their lives in his fragile mind.

"Choose, he made me choose."

"Choose what?" Jensen was having trouble breathing; Jared had drawn his shirt so tightly around him that his chest could hardly move.

"Pick one to die or I'll shoot them both," Jared said in a strangely steady voice.

A chill flitted down Jensen's back. A child choosing which parent would live and which would die. His heart was aching for the child Jared had been so many years earlier. "Come with me, Jared. You can come, you just have to wake up."

"I can't," Jared said. His breath hitched and he struggled back away from Jensen. "I have to keep him here. He'll stay here with me."

The walls slanted in and, for a moment, Jensen thought they were going to collapse on them. Slowly, the dream righted itself and steadied.

"He'll stay here, Jared. He won't come." Jensen wanted to scream _he's not real_ but in all honesty, Jared was such a powerful Tel that Jensen had no idea what was reality.

Jared stilled suddenly, hands clasped together in his lap. “He made me choose and then he killed them both."

"Jesus," Jensen whispered. He couldn't help it. It was horrific. He couldn't begin to imagine what it would feel like to choose someone's life, let alone watch as both parents were killed. "It's time, Jared. It really is."

Jared shook his head.

"Please. You just have to decide to come with me." Looking back one day, Jensen might realize it had been the wrong thing to say. 

Jared's eyes widened but stayed locked on Jensen's. The walls looked like they were shedding a layer of skin and buckling. "I make the wrong decisions."

The _pull_ of awake was tugging on Jensen's heart and he rubbed at his chest. "Come with me."

Jared's lashes fell to his cheeks and he shook his head. "I can't."

A sharp pain sliced through Jensen's head and he let out a yell. Cradling his head in one hand he reached blindly for Jared with the other. "Jared, please-"

There was no answer and the rumble around them gained in intensity until Jensen couldn’t even focus on his own thoughts. "I'll come back," he whispered.

Fingers ghosted over Jensen's cheek and he _knew_ it was Jared. "I promise I'll come back," he said again.

The pull at his core was painful, his head felt like it was being shredded and Jensen tried to disconnect from Jared's dream.

It was too late; he was embedded too deeply. The only way out was Jared _throwing_ him; and it had already begun.

It felt like every cell in Jensen's body was being torn open. After a few moments, he could no longer feel anything beyond pain. Thousands of knives stabbed into him as Jared's dream was ripped out of Jensen's mind one strand at a time.

When Jensen tried to scream he wasn't sure he was even making a sound. He hovered there between sleep and awake, unable to reach either. Pain battered his aching body and he felt his grip on consciousness slipping.

Darkness ripped at the edges of Jensen's awareness. It closed in on him like a ring of black fire and ash until there was only a pinpoint of lightness.

Then it was all gone in an instant.


	3. Chapter 3

The first time Jensen opened his eyes he wasn't able to speak. There were words in his brain scratching to be let out, but it wasn't happening. He only managed to stay awake until Misha leaned down over him. Things disappeared a bit at a time until he was in the dark again.

The second time he woke up things went a little better. 

"Jensen?"

The voice was familiar and Jensen put as much effort as he could into swimming up out of the darkness that was holding him hostage.

A bearded face leaned over him. The face was older, with a beard and gentle brown eyes. "Jim?"

"Thank God," someone said. It wasn't Jim; his lips hadn't moved.

"Hey, Jensen. You had me worried for a while," Jim said.

Jensen looked around the room. He was in a medical bay.

"Jensen?"

His eyes moved towards the new voice. It was lower and a bit gruff. Then Jeff's face appeared in Jensen's window of visions. "Hi, Jensen. You with us?"

Jensen nodded and regretted it at once. His head felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to it. His vision swam for a few moments before stabilizing. Jeff had a worried look on his face.

"Hi," murmured Jensen. His throat was tight and dry and Jensen frowned when he realized he could taste blood.

Something beeped in the room and it sounded like someone was walking. A cool glass was pressed to Jensen's lips and he drank gratefully.

Jensen could feel a medi-sensor on his temple and he reached up to scratch it off. Someone grabbed his wrist gently.

"Jensen? It's Misha. How do you feel?"

Jensen followed the arm up to short shirtsleeves and then to a _very_ concerned looking Misha.

"Was I hit by a truck?"

Laughter seemed to come from all around the bed. Jensen got the distinct impression that it was a mixture of nerves and relief.

The three men around the bed all glanced at each other before Jeff nodded in Misha's direction.

"Jensen," Misha said. "You are in the medical bay at the Center. You were dreamskimming and you were thrown."

 _Thrown._ Jensen searched his memories. No wonder his head hurt and he felt like he'd been run over.

"There was an attic," Jensen mumbled.

Misha's hand settled on Jensen's hair. "Don't force yourself. It's okay. There's no rush."

But something _did_ feel urgent in Jensen's mind. It was _just_ out of reach though. Frowning, Jensen looked over at Jeff. "Jeff? What happened?"

Jeff's dark brown eyes looked really tired. He was wearing a t-shirt instead of his standard button-down shirt. "Jensen, it's like Misha said. You were skimming a dream and you were thrown." Jeff glanced over at Jim.

"Who … where was I?" There were still bits and pieces of Jensen's memory creeping back into his mind. That attic had been warm and dark. He wasn't alone though; he was there to help Jared.

"Jared," Jensen whispered. He flung himself forward as he tried to sit up. His vision went fuzzy around the edges and all he could hear for a few moments was the sound of his blood rushing in his ears. He fell back and everything became clearer once again.

"Just stay calm, Jensen," Jeff said. "Jared is okay. At least, he seems okay as far as we can tell."

"Gotta go back," Jensen murmured.

" _Oh_ no, you're not going _anywhere_ , Jensen," Misha said quickly.

All Jensen could do was shake his head slowly from side to side. He had to get back to Jared.

"Jensen," interjected Jim. "You nearly died, Son. I can't let you do that again."

Eyes wide, Jensen turned to look at Jim. "What do you mean?"

Jim dropped his gaze as though he felt guilty but he stayed silent.

Jensen looked back over at Misha. "Am I going to be alright?"

After the slightest pause, Misha nodded. "It seems so. You still need a lot more rest but yes. We think you're going to be fine."

"Then I can go to Jared again." _Jared_ , who had been left alone again with the monster who had killed his parents.

"No, you can't, Jensen," said Jim.

When Jensen looked over at his old friend, Jim finally made eye contact. "You were thrown, Jensen. Something must have gone wrong and Jared threw you. Even if you weren't almost _killed_ \- there's a mandatory one month ban for any skimmer who is thrown. You know that, son."

"No. I promised him that I would come back. His parents! God. It's worse than you all thought." The pounding in Jensen's head was getting worse by the minute. Every moment he remembered spending with Jared felt like more pressure pumped into his skull.

"What about his parents?" Jeff asked.

"Jeff. It can wait," Misha answered sharply.

"No," Jensen said softly. "It can't wait. He's alone in there with that murderer.”

"The murderer?" Jeff stood and leaned down to see Jensen's face more clearly.

"He's in there," Jensen said softly. There were so many thoughts bombarding him that it was hard to sort through them all. Jared was always there. "Jared was in his parents’ room. I can't leave him in there alone. The murderer made Jared _choose_ which one of his parents was going to be killed. He chose and then the guy killed them both anyway.”

"Jesus _Christ_ ," Jeff whispered. He pressed his thumb and forefinger into his eyes.

"No wonder he's walled himself in," Misha said. His expression softened when he looked down at Jensen. "You did great, Jensen. You really did."

But it made everything sound too final to Jensen. "I'm _not_ finished. I _promised_ him that I would go back. What's it been, a day or two since I was thrown? He's going to think I lied to him….that I chose not to go back. He won't understand that he threw me. He can't even know what that means-"

"Jensen. Stop." Jeff's voice was loud and Jensen's jaw snapped shut.

The room was silent for a few agonizing heartbeats and Jensen could feel his heart starting to thump forcefully in his chest.

Jeff dragged a hand down over his face then moved over to stand where he could reach down and grasp Jensen's hand. "Jensen, you've been unconscious for almost a week. Jared's status hasn't changed.”

Tears burned in Jensen's eyes. _A week._ He had promised Jared that he would go back and find him then he'd disappeared for the next week. Jared was going to hate him. Any trust they'd built would be long gone when he got back to him.

"When can I go back?" Jensen asked. He fixed his gaze on Jeff.

"You can't, Jensen. I'm sorry. You _know_ what Jared means to me but … we can't justify risking your life-"

"It's _my_ life!!" Jensen yelled. The sound reverberated in Jensen's head and he winced. He was panting; the exertion of everything was taking it's toll. He squeezed his eyes shut and reached up to rub at his eyes. He was surprised to find his face damp with tears. "I _have_ to go back to him."

"What you need to do is rest," Misha said gently.

"I've been resting for a week." Jensen felt hollow inside, completely empty and he knew it was Jared that was missing.

"Rest, Jensen."

Too late, Jensen realized that Misha had pressed a medi-strip to the back of Jensen's hand.

"No," Jensen said weakly. But he could already feel the medication the patch was delivering. The room was getting fuzzy at the edges. "No…"

Jim's face came into view again and Jensen blinked a few times. He couldn't fight the meds in his system. He was so tired and the relief of silence was waiting just on the other side of consciousness.

The last face that Jensen saw in his mind was _Jared's_. As his lashes fell heavily to his cheeks, Jensen let himself sink down into his memories of Jared.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

The next time Jensen opened his eyes the med bay was dark. As the lingering effects of the meds wore off, Jensen let his eyes adjust to the darkness.

Misha was asleep in a chair beside Jensen's bed. He was snoring quietly.

Jensen took inventory of his aching body. All his limbs moved. If he could just get his head to stop spinning he could move.

Moving very slowly, Jensen managed to sit up. For a little while he gripped the sheets until the room stopped tilting back and forth.

Once everything was stable, Jensen swung his feet down and every muscle in his body protested. He was so stiff and sore.

Very carefully, Jensen slid forwards until his bare feet touched the artificially warmed floor.

He was relieved when he was able to actually stand without falling over. Glancing over his shoulder he made sure Misha was still sleeping before taking a few steps towards the door.

There was no pressure alarm on the bed: everyone must have expected him to be out for the entire night.

Moving silently, he crept past MIsha and headed out into the hall. He took a couple of moments to orient himself and then headed towards Jared.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

It was a guess but it was a good guess. They'd kept Jared in the Slegg room. Jensen bristled at the idea of being kept apart even when he was unconscious.

Sighing, Jensen headed into the room. He left the lights down and looked around.

Jared was asleep; he was lying on his side, asleep in the darkness.

"Jared," Jensen whispered. Moving as fast as he was able, Jensen made his way across the room.

Even in his sleep, Jared looked frightened. His brow was furrowed and his hands were clenched into fists so tightly that his knuckles were white.

"Jared, I'm _so_ sorry." Jensen moved slowly around the bed and then pulled back the cover so he could climb up behind Jared.

Jensen was _so_ tired. He couldn't skim even if he wanted to. Nuzzling into Jared's hair, Jensen inhaled deeply. For the first time since he'd regained consciousness he felt relaxed. He looped his arm around Jared's waist and pulled until their bodies were flush.

"Jared," he whispered. "I'm here, Just like I promised." There were tears sliding down his cheeks again but Jensen didn't care.

"I'll come for you as soon as I can," he murmured into Jared's long hair. "I promise you."

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

Jensen was getting really tired of waking up exhausted. At least this time he could feel the heat of Jared's body pressed against his. It felt good.

Jensen smiled when he realized that Jared's fingers were intertwined with his. Then guilt sparked to life again in his chest. He pressed his lips to the sweat-damp skin at the nape of Jared's neck. "I'll be there as soon as I can, Jared. Just hang on a little while longer."

"You're not supposed to be in here."

The voice startled Jensen and he pulled Jared closer, dragging him across his chest into his arms.

He hadn't seen the figure in the high-backed chair when he'd first come in. Peering over Jared's shoulder, Jensen found himself on the receiving end of Jeff Morgan's hard gaze.

"D - don't make me leave," Jensen said. "I _won't_ leave him.” It was beginning to feel as though _nothing_ was in Jensen's control and he didn't like that feeling at all.

"Why are you here, Jensen?" Jeff leaned forward in the chair and clasped his hands together.

Resting his chin on the top of Jared's head, Jensen sighed. He slid his hand up the long furrow of Jared's spine and pressed as close as he could.

"Why, Jensen?"

"There's something about him," Jensen began. He kept his voice soft, fingers smoothing through Jared's hair.

Jeff nodded.

"I promised him that I would go back for him. Do you have any idea what it's been like in there for him? All these years he'd been alone with that monster."

Jeff nodded again and ran his hands down his face. "Jensen, there's nothing else we can do. There's no time left. Jared's transfer was sanctioned this morning. He's being moved to a stasis unit."

Jensen couldn't believe what he was hearing. A _stasis_ unit. He'd never seen one but everyone knew of them. The units were a last resort. People in vegetative states, the unresponsive, were slid into a dark chamber of stasis fluid and … left there.

Jared would be _stored away_ , left dreaming with the murderer, in the hopes that one day there would be a way to bring him back.

"No. You can't let them take him, Jeff. He doesn't belong in a place like that." Jared stirred and Jensen pressed a kiss to the sleeping man's temple.

"Gotta agree with you there," Jeff said. "But Jensen, you can't go back in for him. You nearly fried your brain the last time. We can't lose you as well."

As Jensen watched, Jeff sank back into the big chair looking thoroughly dejected.

"I want to go to him, Jeff." Right in that moment Jensen knew he would do anything for Jared. He didn't care if skimming Jared one more time resulted in some kind of injury. Jensen knew he couldn't live with himself if he didn't at least try. He thought of ways to approach the argument, ran through ideas and discussions in his mind until he could feel sleep dragging him under once more. 

He wanted _so_ desperately to go to Jared but Jensen was so very tired.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

After a few hours of sleep, Jensen felt a lot better. It was surprising how exhausted he'd been. Jared was still sleeping when Jensen climbed off the bed. He stretched and looked around. There was a clothing rec-unit on the far wall. Jensen headed over there to get one of the center’s standard outfits. He was still buttoning up the bright, white shirt when the door to the room slid open.

"Jeff. You get some sleep?" Jensen smiled and picked up a bottle of water from the table as he headed back to the bed.

"No, I didn't," Jeff answered. "Couldn't stop thinking about everything."

Jensen nodded; he was certainly familiar with the sensation. If he hadn't been so sore and tired himself, he doubted he would have been able to sleep.

Jeff moved over to the high back chair again and sat down. "How's Jared?"

"Tired, it seems." Jensen sat down by Jared's shoulder and rubbed his back gently.

Nodding, Jeff studied Jared's face. "He hasn't been awake as much since the last skimming session. It's almost like he doesn't want to be; like he's given up."

Without even thinking, Jensen smoothed Jared's hair back off his forehead.

"You really care about him," Jeff said quietly. He sounded a little surprised and looked up to meet Jensen's gaze.

For once, Jensen didn't feel like coming up with a smartass retort. Jeff's surprise was a little hurtful but then, the man had few reasons to draw any positive conclusions about Jensen.

"I care about him a lot, Jeff. I know it must seem crazy. But, talking to him…" Jensen shrugged the rest of his thoughts away. It sounded crazy even to him.

"What's he like?" Jeff sat back and crossed his legs.

"Jared?"

Jeff nodded.

A smile settled on Jensen's face. "He's got one _hell_ of an imagination."

Laughing softly, Jeff nodded. "I guess he does. How is he with you?"

"Gentle? Sweet. Very protective. He likes to touch me."

Jeff lifted an eyebrow and Jensen frowned. "Not like _that_. He likes to be close to me, touching seem important to him."

"He's had far less of it than most people would," Jeff said.

"Yeah, and he's spent so much of his life running and hiding. It's like he thinks he's got to stay there as some kind of penance."

Jeff shook his head in disbelief. “He's suffered enough."

There was no doubt in Jensen's mind that Jared deserved a reprieve.

"Jensen? If you'd managed to get him to wake up, what would you have done?" Jeff's brow was furrowed; his dark eyes intense.

"Done?" The question was a little vague.

"Yeah. What would have happened next? You go back home. Back to work with Jim and the young switches?"

That's right, that _was_ what Jensen had done before _Jared_. It felt like a million years has passed since then. "I - I don't know."

Jeff nodded but looked a little sad.

"I think… In my mind I was hoping that I'd be able to stay with him."

When Jeff opened his mouth, no doubt to protest, Jensen stopped him with a wave of his hand.

"Jeff, I know it sounds ridiculous. But, there's something about Jared that - that. _God_. I feel better in that dream with him than out here alone." Jensen slid his hand down Jared's arm until he could grasp the man's hand.

"I was _going_ to say, I thought that was a great idea," Jeff said quietly.

Jensen's gaze snapped up to meet Jeff's. "I could stay here?" He hadn't really thought any of it through. There hadn't been enough time between crises for Jensen to think much about anything.

One corner of Jeff's mouth turned up into an off-kilter smile. "I suppose you could have, or maybe we could have figured something out. Hell, if we'd actually pulled this off. I think there would have been a lot of doors open to us."

That damned _hope_ that Jensen couldn't seem to shake rattled around inside him again. "Jeff? I think. I _know_ we could still do it. I can find him again, I know it. I can find him and bring him back."

Letting his head fall back Jeff let out a long sigh. "You're too stubborn," he said.

"And you don't listen to your instincts enough."

Blinking a few times, Jeff look at Jensen. "What?"

"I know you didn't like me when we first met. It was very obvious," Jensen said.

"No. Jense-"

"Don't! You didn't want to give me a chance but something made you change your mind. You had a _feeling_ I could reach Jared. It wasn't any convincing done by Jim or Misha. You made up your own mind. _You_ thought I could do it. Get Jared back."

For a long time Jeff just stared into Jensen's eyes as though he was hunting for some kind of answer. The silence was almost too much.

"Jensen, you're right. I _did_ think you could do it. But I also thought you were cocky and stubborn."

Frowning, Jensen nodded and looked down at Jared.

"It's not a bad thing, Jensen. Maybe it's more like _confident_ and _persistant_. That's probably what makes you so good at what you do." He smiled at Jensen, a genuine, warmth-filled smile.

"Thanks." It actually meant a lot to Jensen that he'd earned a little of Jeff's trust.

"Can you do it, Jensen?"

"Reach Jared?"

"Yeah."

"I absolutely can." Jensen was _sure_ he could find Jared again.

"And can you help him to find his way out of his head? Bring him back?"

More than anything, Jensen wished he could say he was certain that he could steer Jared back to _awake_. "I don't know, Jeff. But I want to try. Once more, Jeff. Just once more."

Shaking his head, Jeff covered his mouth with his hand.

"Please, Jeff. Just once more. I need to see him again. I _need_ to try again. He was _so_ close last time."

"And _you_ nearly died!"

"It was an accident, and you know it. There's no way that Jared could have known he could throw me." Of _that_ Jensen was certain. Jared could never hurt anyone.

When Jeff stood, it was so fast and forceful that his chair shot back a few feet. Briefly, he looked like he was going to yell, tell Jensen off. In the end, he simply turned on his heel and strode towards the door.

Jensen bit down on his bottom lip to push back tears of frustration and grief. He figured he only had a few minutes before Jeff removed him from the room _for his own good._

He leaned down and pressed his lips to Jared's temple.

Four chimes sounded from the door. Then Jensen heard Jeff's deep voice. "Morgan, Jeffrey Dean. Privacy lockdown. Authority code: 53761. Emergency access only"

 _Lockdown_? Slowly, Jensen looked up and over at the door where Jeff was standing. "Jeff?"

Jeff was silent for a while then he turned and strode back to the bed. "Go get him."

Wide-eyed, Jensen felt the flutter of excitement in his belly. Emotion welled and Jensen felt his throat tighten. "Jeff…"

"I know," Jeff said quickly. "Just - Just do your best. I'll be here if you need me." He tugged his chair closer to the bed.

Nodding, Jensen flipped the cover back and slipped into bed beside Jared. He nestled as close as he could, tucking under Jared's arm. It was going to be no problem for him to fall asleep after everything he'd been through.

Jensen glanced up at Jeff once; he was pleased the man would be there watching over them. He smiled, found Jared's hand with his, then closed his eyes.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

There was a storm swirling maniacally around Jensen's mind, his body. He couldn't even get his eyes open because of the dust and debris whipping against his exposed skin.

"Jared!" His yell was swallowed up by the raging storm around him. Panic gnawed away at Jensen and he swallowed it down.

Concentrating on Jared, Jensen closed his eyes tightly against the onslaught. He'd never tested his theory but he had always believed that there was a connection between dreamer and skimmer. If he concentrated on Jared, there was a chance Jensen could use it to pull them together.

He missed Jared; the storm just made the feeling worse. It was like he was imprisoned; kept away from Jared deliberately.

Covering his eyes with his arm, Jensen reached out with his mind. There was _so_ much anger, fear and confusion twisted up inside the weaves of the dream. 

"Jared, please," Jensen murmured. He knew that Jared could sense his presence; he just wasn't answering.

Sinking to his knees, Jensen thought about the smooth, silkiness of Jared's hair. His thoughts wandered to the feel of Jared's body pressed against his. The scent of over-heated flesh at the nape of Jared's neck lingered in Jensen's mind. He pictured the slight smile he'd seen flicker into existence on Jared's mouth. There were so many things to remember from such a short time together.

Tilting his head, Jensen listened. The roar of the air whirling around Jensen had quieted ever so slightly. _Jared_.

"Jared! I couldn't get back any sooner. I was - I was hurt. I only woke up yesterday and I was too weak to get here."

The wind slowed a little more and Jensen dropped his arm.

If he squinted he was able to see a little bit. There was light on the other side of the storm cloud. Somewhere beyond the absolute chaos, Jared was close.

"Jared!" Jensen coughed on the dust and dirt he had accidently inhaled. Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, Jensen held his trembling hand out. "Jared! Please! I couldn't come!"

In a sudden _whoosh_ all the debris around Jensen lifted slightly then simply dropped to the hard wood floor that had appeared beneath Jensen's knees. He was afraid to open his eyes; terrified that Jared may not be there. That would be something that would slice through Jensen like a sharp blade.

"Please, Jared," Jensen whispered. His lips felt dry, his eyelids heavy. "They wouldn't let me come back; they tried to keep me away from you. I just need to talk to you, Jared. Please, just a little while and I will leave if that's what you want." The longer Jensen waited the more _hope_ began to drain away.

"I waited so long," Jared's voice was steady. It seemed cooler than the last time Jensen had heard it. Jared was right behind him.

"I know," Jensen whispered. His heart was being wrenched in two. He hated the image of Jared crouched in the stifling attic listening for his return and hearing only the murderer down below. "I came as soon as I could. Jeff helped me."

"Jeff," the calm voice repeated.

“I was ill, I got - I was hurt by my last trip here and I wasn't able to get back here." Jensen had no idea if Jared would be able to trust him again.

There was silence for so long that Jensen began to think Jared had left him alone. Jensen climbed to his feet carefully, all his moves deliberate and calm. A small sigh from behind him gave away Jared's presence.

"You were hurt last time you were here? Are you okay now?"

Jensen nodded, relieved that Jared wanted to know. "I'm better. It will take a while, but I'm okay."

Very slowly, Jensen turned around. The muscles across his chest tightened when he saw Jared.

The dreamer looked exhausted. Jared's skin was pale and there were dark circles under his eyes. His hair was dull and nowhere near as healthy as it had looked the last time he'd seen this version of Jared. "Are _you_ okay?"

Jared nodded and looked around. He closed his eyes briefly and their surroundings changed. Walls sprouted out of the floor and grew up until they met in the center far above their heads.

Jensen stumbled back a step, shocked by the demonstration of Jared's power. For the first time since he'd met the young man, Jensen realized how dangerous things inside the dream could become.

"Jared?"

After the span of a few heartbeats, Jared blinked his eyes open. "Why have you come back now?"

Jensen swallowed down the nerves that were clawing their way to the surface. _Truth_ was the best choice. He'd gotten to where he was being open and honest with Jared; this wasn't the time to change that.

"I rested until I was able to make the trip here again. Jeff decided to help me reach you. If anyone else finds out though, I'm not sure what will happen." Jensen sighed and took a tentative step closer.

"Jeff is helping you?" There was a puzzled frown on Jared's face.

Nodding, Jensen took another step closer. "He's buying me time; giving me a chance to come here and get you."

"Get me? You can't take me from here." Jared's voice was wavered and Jensen wasn't sure if it was fear or disbelief that caused it. 

The problem was that Jared was right. There was no way for Jensen to force someone out of their own dream.

"Okay," Jensen relented. "I can't actually _take_ you with me. But you could follow me, Jared. If you focus on me, think about coming to be with me. I think we-"

"No!" Jared yelled. This time anger hardened Jared's features. "I can't leave here. I need to stay here and keep him from hurting anyone else. This is. This is -" Obviously frustrated, Jared kicked at a chair that had appeared beside him before sinking down onto it.

"That's not true, Jared." Jensen knew that his time in Jared's dream was ticking away. Soon, Jeff would have to deal with Misha.

Jensen looked behind him to find a chair sliding to a stop. He dragged it closer to Jared, sat down and reached for Jared's hand.

Jared snatched his hand back and folded his arms tight across his chest.

"God, Jared. I don't have much time."

"You'll leave," Jared said in a very hollow voice.

More painful _truth_. "Yes, Jared. I will have to leave very soon. I'm not going to lie to you. We don't have much time."

"I was fine before you came here. I'll be fine after you leave."

Jensen was beginning to get frustrated. He could hear Jared's future ticking away moment by moment.

"Maybe you would be but you could _also_ try to find your way to me. There's so much out there, Jared. And me. I'll be waiting out there for you. You just have to open your eyes in _my_ world."

Jared shrugged but he dropped his hands to his lap. "This is where I belong."

"No, it isn't, Jared." Telling Jared that he was dreaming could be detrimental. It might also be the only thing that could convince the man to try and wake up.

Reaching out, Jensen grabbed Jared's hand and wouldn't let him pull it free. "Jared, you're dreaming this world. On the _other_ side you don't talk. You sleep and wake up,sure. You eat and drink but that's it. As long as you choose to stay here, keep living in this dream - you won't be able to really wake up over there."

The entire time Jensen was speaking, Jared's eyes had grown wider and wider. He couldn't possibly understand but there was nothing left for Jensen to try. Slowly, Jared began to shake his head from side to side.

"I know this sounds crazy, Jared, but I'm telling you the truth. You need to come away from the world you've created. It's not real-"

"Not real?" Jared said sharply. His fingers curled over the neck of his baggy t-shirt and he yanked it down so hard that it tore slightly. "Don't these look real to you?"

As soon as Jensen's eyes fell to Jared's chest he gasped in surprise. There were purple and black bruises all along Jared's collarbone. The most horrible part was the set of deep scratches carved into the flesh.

"Who did that to you? Was it the man who killed your parents?"

Jared's lashes fluttered for a few seconds then he tightened his fingers on Jensen's hand. "He's getting faster, stronger."

"You've re-created him inside your dream, Jared. I swear to you, you _can_ change this. If you wake up, if you let go of these dreams he won't come with you to that world.

Jared was shaking his head again and he pressed back in his chair. "I can't, Jensen."

" _Yes_ , you can. You can come to me. I want you to wake up for me." Jensen reached up to slide his fingers into Jared's limp hair.

"Jensen? I want to be with you but I don't know how to get there. I've been here as long as I can remember. How do I get to you?" 

And there was one of the questions that Jensen had always been afraid of hearing. He simply didn't know the answer, in fact, he had no idea how to help Jared at all.

"The truth is that I don't know, Jared. You have a real gift - a talent. You're so _very_ special. You made this place and I think you're the only one who can get you out."

The look on Jared's face betrayed his frustration. And why not? Jensen was asking Jared to do something that neither of them understood.

A single tear slid down Jared's cheek and Jensen leaned in to press his lips to it. It was salty when Jensen licked it off his lips. Strange.

He pressed his forehead against Jared's temple. "Jared. All I can do is promise I'll be out there waiting for you. I _know_ you can get there. Don't stay here alone. Please. Don't leave me alone out there."

It felt like Jensen's heart was beating in his throat. He was having trouble breathing. Panic was building; panic at the very idea of leaving and not knowing if he could ever come back.

He finally let go of Jared's hand and pulled him into his arms. The way Jared clung to him made Jensen's heart break a little. He'd never felt more helpless.

A strange tug started in the middle of Jensen's chest. It had to be Jeff trying to wake him. Maybe someone had found them with Jared.

"Jared. I'm going to be taken away from you soon. It's completely beyond my control."

"No. I'm not ready. I don't know what to do, Jensen." There was a note of terror in Jared's voice and Jensen could feel him trembling.

"Jared, I don't know what to say-"

The intensity of the pull at Jensen spiked in intensity and he choked on the air he tried to breathe in.

"Jensen?" Jared struggled out of Jensen's tight grasp and peered into Jensen's eyes.

"I can't stay, Jared. Come and _find_ me. I know you can do it. I know-"

In an instant, the dream world blinked out. Jensen felt like he was suspended across a chasm for a few moments before he felt the soft mattress underneath him and the heat of Jared's body at his side.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

When Jensen opened his eyes he could hear the echo of Jared's yell in his mind.

"I'm sorry, Jensen," Jeff said sadly.

"Sorry?" Misha's voice was cold and Jensen looked up to see both men at the side of the bed he was still sharing with Jared.

"The was completely irresponsible, Jeff." Misha's eyes were blazing with barely restrained anger. "He could have _died_ going back in so soon after being thrown. Skimmers _have_ died from less intense situations."

"Misha," Jensen broke in. "It was my deci-"

"Be quiet, Jensen," Misha said sharply. " _You_ knew this was dangerous as well."

Misha turned back to where Jeff was collapsed in the chair by the bed. He looked totally defeated and Jensen wondered what had gone on before he woke up.

Jeff rubbed at his eyes then glanced at Jensen wearily. "I'm sorry, Jensen. Did you manage to reach Jared?"

"I can't believe you're still discussing this." Misha threw his hands up in the air.

Ignoring Misha's outburst, Jensen sat up and set his hand on Jared's shoulder possessively. "Jeff, I found him but he doesn't know how to get out." 

"Of _course_ he doesn't, Jensen. He was a child when he went into that world," Misha interrupted. "It's shocking that he can even interact with you."

Jeff shifted his chair closer to the bed, eyes locked with Jensen's. "What did you tell him?"

Jensen's fingers slid up Jared's arm to move gently through his hair. "I told him the truth. I explained that he was dreaming, that it was a world that he had created."

"You did _what_?" Misha looked exasperated.

"Misha, that was all I could do," Jensen explained. "I had to tell him the truth or he would never have trusted me."

"And _what_ exactly is that trust going to get Jared? Traumatized? A psychotic break?" Misha paced over to the closest desk and tapped out something on the built-in screen.

"Misha, what are you doing?" Jeff asked quickly.

"Contacting Jim and telling him everything that's going on."

"Don't be ridiculous," Jeff said.

Misha laughed abruptly. "I'm ridiculous? Jim needs to come and get Jensen and take him back to Warrington."

"No," Jensen spat. "I won't leave him."

"Misha. Stop." Jeff stood and clenched his fists tightly at his sides.

"It's too late, " MIsha answered. "I sent him the message. You want to talk him out of suing you and the Center, Jeff? Do it _yourself_." Misha spun and strode towards the door.

Once the door hissed shut behind the counsellor, Jeff sank back down in his chair.

"Well," Jensen said. "That went really well."

"You don't know the _half_ of it," Jeff said gruffly.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

Fortunately for Jensen, Jim ended up being far less angry than Misha. Maybe he was just used to Jensen's antics; maybe he was just older and didn't want to waste the energy.

Oh, he was still pretty pissed off. Mostly, he was annoyed with Jensen for putting himself at risk. He was equally annoyed at Jeff for not telling him more about what was going on. He implied that he may have even been supportive of what they were doing if they'd simply explained their reasoning to him.

Jim had arrived at the center about twenty minutes after Misha's message and the three of them sat in Jeff's office talking for well over an hour. Misha had left early.

The entire time he was away from Jared, Jensen was nervous. It just felt wrong. His mind immediately went to all the worst case scenarios. What if Misha had Jared moved? What if Jared needed him and he wasn't there? What if something bad happened to Jared when he tried to leave his dream world?

He knew he was over-thinking things. But the longer he was awake, the more useless he felt. He'd let Jared down in the worst possible way. Failure was something that Jensen had never felt before and he didn't like it. It was _really_ bad timing to learn something new.

Jeff rested his hand on Jensen's shoulder and squeezed gently. Jim had finally left after agreeing to Jensen staying under Jeff's supervision.

"You looked a million miles away, kid." Jeff walked over to the small drink dispenser near the door and punched in the code for drinks.

"I was thinking about Jared. Can I stay with him tonight?"

Jeff returned with two coffees and handed one to Jensen. "Would it make any difference if I suggested you spend the night in your own sleep quarters?"

Jensen smiled and looked down at the mug in his hands. "Probably not."

Jeff perched on the edge of his desk and took a sip of coffee. "I'm worried about you."  
Shrugging, Jensen looked up. "Me too. What happens if Jared doesn't come out of it?"

Jeff pressed his fist to his mouth for a few moments. "I've tried not to think about it. Technically, he's a ward of the state in two days. Their official request is for stasis."

"But, he's _in_ there, Jeff," Jensen said quietly. He didn't even want to think about what would happen to Jared's mind in stasis.

"I know." Jeff looked almost as exhausted as Jensen felt. He had a terrible headache and felt far too nauseous to eat even though he was starving.

"Can't you take him? Adopt him or something?" Jensen knew he sounded like he was grasping at straws because he _was_. He wasn't sure what to do next but he knew it was going to involve Jeff.

"That's a hell of a lot of responsibility," Jeff said. "And honestly, Jensen? I've put most of my finances into trying to help him for the past few years. There's your fee-"

"No, I don't want it." There was no way that Jensen was going to take any money for seeing Jared.

"Jim might disagree."

"Well, he can have _his_ fee. I won't take payment for a minute of the time I've spent with Jared.”

Jeff nodded but Jensen wasn't sure if it was because he agreed or he just didn't want to discuss it any further.

"What the hell do we do now?" Jensen asked. Small question, huge problem.

"Wait? We have a couple of days before the stasis crew will check in with us.

All they had left was _hope_ that Jared would find his way free and it felt pretty flimsy to Jensen.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

Time went slowly. Jensen spent every moment he could with Jared. When Jared was awake Jensen took him out to the rose garden and read to him. Holding Jared's hand, Jensen lead him on long walks through the grounds. When he wasn't reading to Jared, he spoke to him. He told stories about his childhood, about growing up and finding out the was a Tel. While Jared pruned the roses, Jensen brought up all the things he wanted Jared to see.

Part of him thought it was completely pointless. He had no idea if Jared was hearing any of it. Hell, he had no idea if Jared would even _want_ to hear from him.

As far as Jared knew, Jensen had left him again. He'd just disappeared while they were talking to each other. Jensen found it hard to believe that Jared would ever forgive him.

The first evening came far too soon. It felt like everything was moving in fast forward. The arrival of the first evening meant that they may only have as little as a day left. It wasn't going to be enough time.

Jensen read to Jared for a while that first night. He'd chosen "Giovanni's Room" by James Baldwin. The tragic romance in the story seemed fitting somehow. Eventually his eyes were far too tired to make out the words. Even though he didn't want tomorrow to arrive, he couldn't stay awake forever.

Jensen put the book away and led Jared to the bed. He pulled his t-shirt off and smiled slightly when Jared did the same.

Tilting his head slightly Jensen balled up his t-shirt and tossed it at the clothing bin. Jared copied his action and Jensen laughed softly for the first time in a long time.

As usual, Jared was staring at him but that only made Jensen sad. In the dream he'd seen what those beautiful hazel eyes looked like when they were full of life.

Jensen slide his soft cotton pants down, watched as Jared did the same, then tossed them.

While Jared moved around to _his_ side of the bed, Jensen pulled the sheet back and straightened the pillows.

Jensen got comfortable on his side and when he looked up it was to find Jared lying right in front of him.

Reaching out, Jensen swept the hair back out of Jared's eyes. "Hope you're okay in there, Jared."

Jared blinked, once, twice and let out a small sigh as he seemed to relax.

"I'm here, Jared. Just like I said I would be." Jensen kept his voice low and soothing.

The lights in the room dimmed automatically and Jensen pulled the covers a little higher.

"I need you, Jared." 

All Jared did was blink.

"I don't know what to do if you don't come back."

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

Jensen woke up slowly. There had been no dreaming. His mind was too drained and abused to skim and too tired to even create something of its own. 

Over the years, Jensen had learned that his body seemed to do a good job of taking care of itself.

He nestled down into the warmth of the bed. It was comfortable and _just_ the right temperature. Jensen knew it was temperature regulated but it reminded him of the home he grew up in. His father had insisted on old-fashioned beds for them. They had no internal heaters, nothing was regulated and Jensen had loved it.

For some reason, the warmth he felt in Jared's bed reminded him of that time in his life. He hadn't thought about his childhood home in years. Strange.

Keeping his eyes closed, Jensen wondered if he could fall asleep again.

He reached out his hand to trail his fingers down Jared's skin. All he felt was the soft cotton sheet between them. Stretching his fingers out he searched blindly for Jared. There was no one else in the bed.

In an instant, Jensen's eyes were wide open.

The cover was a tangled mess on Jared's side of the bed but he was nowhere to be seen.

Jensen sat up so quickly his head spun for a few moments. Then he was out of the bed. Fear had a tight grasp on him; it had only been second since he had realized Jared was gone and it felt worse than anything he'd experienced.

He spun as he looked around the room but he couldn't see Jared anywhere. A quick glance at the door revealed that it was still locked. Unless Jared could walk through walls he had to be in the room.

"This is insane," murmured Jensen. He thought he heard a sound and held his breath.

_Nothing._

"Jared?"

This time, Jensen definitely heard a sound. It was coming from the Slegg. Why hadn't it occurred to him to look in there?

His bare feet hardly made a sound as he headed over to the entrance to the Slegg. "Jared?"

There was no answer, but even if Jared had climbed into the Slegg on his own, why would he suddenly speak?'

Leaning forward, Jensen peered inside. _Jared_. He was curled up as much as his tall frame would allow.

"God, Jared. You scared me." Relief sank down onto Jensen and he sighed. He flipped the lock on the Slegg and climbed in.

Jared's eyes widened when he saw Jensen although he remained still.

"You okay, Jared?" Jensen sat down on the soft surface and smiled at Jared. "I was worried when I woke up and you weren't there. Guess maybe you don't need as much sleep as I do right now." 

Jensen scratched at the stubble on his cheek. He really needed to shave. He made a mental note to ask Misha how he got Jared to shave. Sharp objects weren't something he wanted to experiment with.

"Am I awake? Is it now?" Jared asked in a rough voice.

The sound of another voice sent Jensen scrambling back until he ran into the smooth, curved wall of the Slegg. His heart pounded and he held his hands out as though he was warding off a blow. "J-Jared?"

"Please," Jared whispered. His voice was rough but then he hadn't used it for years. It was amazing that he _could_ speak at all.

 _Jared_ was speaking to him. As the thought sank in, Jensen lowered his hands. A twinge of excitement made him breath a little faster. "Jesus _Christ_ , you're awake."

"Am I?" Jared rubbed at his wrist like it was painful. His eyes never left Jensen's face.

Jensen was having some serious issues getting past _Jared is awake_. For a while, he just leaned against the wall panting, struggling with the reality of the situation.

"Is this another place?" Jared's eyes were teary, his hands clenched into tight fists.

"God, I'm sorry," Jensen felt like a complete idiot. He was so shocked by Jared being awake and talking that he hadn't even thought about how confused Jared would be.

Walking forward on his knees, Jensen reached out for Jared. "Come here, I'm sorry. Yes. It's - this is now, it's the _real_ world. You're awake. You made it."

Each word seemed to make Jared flinch and he shied away from Jensen's hands.

Jensen froze about two feet from Jared. For some reason, it hadn't occurred to him that Jared could be afraid of _him_. They'd spent so much time together since they'd met in his dream.

"I won't hurt you; I promise." Jensen said. It killed him to have to say it at all but he couldn't stands the way Jared was looking at him.

"I'm not asleep?" Jared pushed clumsily at his the hair that was hanging in his eyes.

"You're not asleep, Jared. You found a way out." It felt kind of amazing to be speaking with Jared.

Unfortunately, Jensen's answer didn't seem to calm Jared at all. "Jared? Are you okay?"

All Jared did was shake his head quickly and look even _more_ terrified.

Jensen needed to get Jeff in there. A dreamer who was _awake_ was out of Jensen's league. Backing away slowly, Jensen smiled.

"Jared, I'm going to get Jeff. He'll know how to help you. Okay?"

"Jeff," Jared repeated. There was a strange look on Jared's face like he was trying to remember where he'd heard the name before.

"It's going to be alright, Jared. Things are just - it's going to be confusing for a while. Jeff can help us."

Jared shrugged his shoulders and leaned back against the Slegg wall. "Jared?"

As frightened as he obviously was, Jared looked up to meet Jensen's gaze. He blinked slowly.

"Stay here, Jared." Jensen had never said something that held quite so much importance before. If anything went wrong now, Jensen would never forgive himself.

He moved slowly and deliberately until he was out of Jared's view and then broke into a run.


	4. Chapter 4

Jeff and Jensen made it back to Jared as fast as they could. Jeff was still buttoning his shirt while Jensen unlocked the door. He half expected Jared to have retreated to his dream world again.

The door was barely open when Jensen slid through it and ran over to the Slegg.

He skidded to a stop at the Slegg entrance and looked up in time to see Jared nearly jump out of his skin.

"Sorry," Jensen said quickly. "I'm _so_ sorry, I just. I was worried so I - I'm sorry." It was seeming like every time Jensen was near Jared he ended up scaring him.

Jeff appeared at Jensen's side and laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Jensen."

It was anything but okay as far as Jensen was concerned. There wasn't room for both of them in front of the Slegg entrance so Jensen took a couple of steps back.

Jeff's voice was quiet and low as he spoke to Jared. It made Jensen feel like he was eavesdropping, so he turned and headed over to sit on the end of the bed.

He clasped his hands together, squeezing as hard as he could. It might be crazy but he was realizing that he'd expected Jared to awaken _knowing_ that Jensen meant him no harm. This Jared wasn't the Jared that Jensen had found in the dream world. _This_ Jared was terrified, it seemed, _just_ as terrified as he had been inside the horror of his dream.

Disappointing as it was, Jensen felt the flush of guilt. Jared had been through a _hell_ of a lot; Jensen shouldn't have any expectations. When it came down to it he hadn't even _asked_ if Jared remembered him. He'd assumed that all of Jared's memories from his dream world would have accompanied him on his journey back to the world.

He glanced over at the Slegg. Jeff was still standing very near the entrance, his voice was still quiet, too quiet for Jensen to hear. He found himself hoping that Jeff would be able to calm Jared. He _almost_ wished that Misha was there. The counsellor might disapprove of the risks Jensen took but he was gentle and sweet with Jared.

"Jensen."

Blinking a few times, Jensen looked over at Jeff.

"Can you come over here?" Jeff looked pretty relaxed and Jensen hoped that meant things had gone well with Jared.

Jensen sucked in a deep breath and headed back to Jeff. As soon as he was at Jeff's side, the man squeezed his shoulder and smiled warmly.

Forcing himself to appear a little less eager, Jensen managed to wait almost six seconds before turning to look at Jared.

For his part, Jared looked a little more relaxed. He was sitting cross-legged near the back of the Slegg. For the first time since he'd _returned_ Jared smiled slightly.

The sight of that smile almost took Jensen out of the game. It made his knees feel so weak he thought he might collapse. He managed to return the smile but was left trembling slightly.

Jeff squeezed his shoulder again and turned his head slightly for privacy. "You okay, son?"

There had never been a question Jensen had been more confused about. "I .. think. Yes."

Doubt was clear on Jeff's face but he turned back to Jared after a beat.

"Jared," Jeff said in the same mellow tone he'd used all along. "You ready now?"

Jared nodded and Jensen looked over to Jeff for clarification.

Glancing briefly at Jensen, Jeff smiled and focused on Jared again. "Jared is going to come out so we can have some water and talk."

Still not sure how that involved him, Jensen frowned and let out a sigh.

Jeff settled his hand on the small of Jensen's back. "Jared wanted you here."

The hope that Jensen had lost his grip on temporarily returned a little. He was urged forward by a gentle push from Jeff and found himself at the entrance looking in at Jared.

The smile on Jared's face wavered a little and he looked down at his hands. They were clasped together tightly.

"Hi again," Jensen said. He concentrated on trying to move slowly, appear as non-threatening as he could. 

"Hi," Jared answered.

They were both silent for a while and then Jared looked up.

Jensen couldn't help but smile. Those eyes were just like he remembered from Jared's dream.

The tension seemed to grow in Jared's body. Jensen saw his throat working to swallow as he looked up. A few more moments passed and then Jared reached out his hand towards Jensen.

Something in Jensen's chest loosened and he felt the heat of relief. "You comin' out?"

Hand still reaching out, Jared nodded.

Jensen leaned into the Slegg and wrapped his fingers around Jared's hand. Jared's palm felt warm and slightly damp. But his fingers tightened on Jensen's quickly.

Careful not to pull, Jensen let Jared make the first move. After the slightest hesitation, Jared moved forward. His grip on Jensen's hand tightened again and he scooted closer until he could step out into the room.

As soon as both of Jared's feet were on the floor he pressed up against Jensen's side.

Jensen wanted to pull Jared into his arms but he would have to drop his hand and _that_ wasn't going to happen.

"Come over to the bed, Boys." Jeff walked past them. 

Looking a little insecure, Jared stared at Jeff's back as he walked away.

"You okay, Jared?"

The question seemed to puzzle Jared. He lifted his head a little and frowned slightly before nodding once.

They walked over to the bed slowly and Jared let go of Jensen's hand so he could climb onto the bed. He settled cross-legged in the middle of the mattress.

Jeff smiled from the chair he'd reclaimed. "Have a seat, Jensen."

A book of instructions would be nice. Half an hour earlier Jensen would have just climbed onto the bed. Everything had changed the moment Jared had _really_ opened his eyes.

"Will you sit with me, Jensen?" Jared was _almost_ smiling again and Jeff chuckled quietly.

At least Jeff was amused. "Sure, I will."

Jensen sat sideways on the edge of the bed and pulled one leg up. Steeling himself against rejection he held out his hand. 

This time, Jared took Jensen's hand without the slightest hesitation.

Jeff leaned forward in his chair. "How do you feel, Jared?"

"Better," Jared said softly. "My throat hurts."

"That's not surprising. Apart from the noises you used to make while you were sleeping, you haven't used your voice for years," Jeff said.

"Years," Jared echoed as though it was too much for him to process.

Jensen shifted a little closer to Jared and smiled warmly. He looked over at Jeff and his smile withered. Jeff was worried; Jensen could tell.

"Jeff?" Jensen stared at the older man. Clearly, he had something on his mind.

"Jared, Jensen. Things are going to be changing a lot in a very short period of time," Jeff began. "As soon as Misha comes in to work he's going to want to take over. He's a great counsellor. Very good at what he does-"

"No," Jensen said quickly. "Misha isn't - he doesn't understand this, us." Jensen squeezed Jared's hand.

"Jensen," Jeff said firmly. "Please just listen. Give me the benefit of the doubt."

Jensen pressed his lips together tightly and nodded. He reminded himself that Jeff had helped him to get Jared back in the first place.

Jared's gaze moved from Jensen to Jeff and back again. "I want to stay here with Jensen."

"And I want that for you too, Jared." Jeff said quickly. "But, this isn't Jensen's home; he lives somewhere else. We brought him here to help you and he can't stay here indefinitely."

Jared's eyes widened and he looked over at Jensen with a strange sadness in his eyes. 

Jensen shot Jeff a look. He hadn't exactly painted Jensen in a good light. After a deep breath he turned back to Jared. "What?" 

Tilting his head to the side, Jared just stared for a while then he looked down at their hands. "I thought - I don't know where I thought you came from."

Jensen shot Jeff another look then slid closer to Jared. "Listen to me, Jared. Jeff brought me here originally because he thought I could help you. But things are different now … _very_ different.”

Finally, Jeff seemed to realize what he had implied. "Jared, Jensen took a huge risk getting to you. He'll never tell you this but some of this was really dangerous for him. He insisted on going to get you, Jared."

The explanation seemed to satisfy Jared for the time being. "Where's your home, Jensen?"

"I live at the Warrington Institute."

"What's that?" Jared seemed curious.

"It's a center where NewGens are trained and work," Jensen said. He thought it would be best to keep things simple.

"What's a NewGen?" Jared asked innocently.

"I think this is the kind of thing we should talk about later when you're safe," Jeff said.

"Safe?" Jared's expression changed again. He didn't seem to miss very much in terms of the conversation.

"You're safe with me," Jensen said quickly.

Their eyes met again and Jared's lips curled into one of his _almost_ smiles. Just like the first time he'd seen it, Jensen felt the warmth of it filter through his entire body.

"I know," Jared said. "You want to take care of me. Jeff does too but he's worried and scared." 

Jeff's mouth fell open as though he was about to speak and then he closed it.

All the pieces fell into place rather abruptly in Jensen's mind. "Jesus," he whispered.

"What?" Jeff looked a little dumbfounded.

"I forgot, I mean… he's a TelPat." Turning to face Jared squarely, Jensen took both of Jared's hands in his.

"Jared, can you read my mind?" At first, Jensen hadn't been sure how much Jared would understand but he didn't seem to be having a problem.

"Some of your thoughts, I can see. With Jeff it's easier to feel what he's feeling."

Shock took Jensen's breath away for a few moments. He kept his eyes fixed on the bright hazel ones blinking over at him. He spoke without taking his eyes of Jared. "Jeff?"

"Yeah," Jeff said quietly. "I caught that too."

Apparently, Jared was no ordinary NewGen. For some unknown reason his switch gene had activated more than one skill. He could read minds and sense feelings. There was no way of even guessing at what else the young man might be capable of.

"Jared, don't tell anyone else you can do that, okay?" Jeff's voice was steady but he'd gone quite pale.

"I can speak to Jensen about it," Jared said.

Jeff and Jensen both nodded then looked at each other with wide eyes. Things had just become a _great_ deal more complicated for the three of them.

Jeff shifted to the edge of his seat. "Jared, you understand that the stasis team will be coming. They're expecting to find an unresponsive man, not someone with more skills than the average NewGen."

Even as Jared was nodding, he was shifting closer to Jensen. "They might notify another department."

Throwing caution to the wind, Jensen let go of Jared's hand to slide his arm over the man's shoulders. It seemed to be a good choice because Jared only hesitated a moment before slipping his arms around Jensen's waist.

Jensen tipped his chin up defiantly in case Jeff was thinking of commenting on anything. Apart from lifting an eyebrow, Jeff seemed to be reserving judgement. There were bigger things to worry about, after all.

"Can't I just take him back to Warrington? Jim will find space for him, you know he will."

"I can stay at Jensen's house," Jared added.

Jensen closed his eyes for a few moments. Heat was crawling up his neck and settling on his cheeks. When he opened his eyes again Jeff was unsuccessfully hiding a smile behind his hand.

"Jared, can you - how about…" Frustrated, Jensen groaned.

"He hasn't been taught how to contain, Jensen." Jeff's smirk had become a full on smile.

Jensen hadn't thought of training he'd had at Warrington. Definitely, one of the most important tricks they all picked up was how to _contain_ their skills. In order for NewGens to be accepted in the _ordinary_ world there had been a need for them to be proven trustworthy. Rooting around in people's minds and spitting out secret desires wasn't very endearing most of the time.

"You didn't want Jeff to know that I could stay with you," Jared said softly. "That no matter what anyone said you would find a way for me to be with you."

Laughing, Jeff sat back in his chair. "I sure didn't have to be a TelPat to figure _that_ one out."

What with Jared's lack of filter and Jeff's amusement, the mood had lightened a little. Jensen figured that his embarrassment was probably a small price to pay for that.

After a sigh and a shake of his head, Jeff clapped his hands down on his thighs. "We have to do this officially. I'll get the transfer initiated and if we get Jared out of here fast enough, it will be a non-issue."

It was the most positive thing Jensen had heard so far. He was certain Jim would bring Jared into Warrington without a second thought. Jeff didn't seem to have any objections, at least, none that he was voicing.

For the first time, Jensen started to think that things might actually work out.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

Moving Jared to the Warrington Guiding Institute had proved much more challenging than Jensen could have imagined.

Misha had arrived shortly after Jeff had begun leaving the electronic trail for Jared's transfer.

There had been a lot of _heated_ discussion. (Misha's description, not Jensen's. Jensen might have said _the shit hit the fan_ ). As expected, Misha felt the transfer was happening much too soon. There were a lot of big words tossed around. Jensen swore a couple of times. Technically, he only _thought_ about swearing but Jared passed it on. Fortunately, Jared seemed to have realized by then that displaying more than one skill wasn't going to help him stay with Jensen. He limited himself to only clarifying Jensen's thoughts every so often.

Jeff had stormed into the room halfway through Misha's second speech about professionalism. The two men had gone at it pretty hard. Misha seemed to think the connection between Jared and Jensen was an understandable by-product of Jensen skimming Jared's dream. Jeff argued that there was much more to the connection than their NewGen abilities.

As interesting as the argument had been, Jensen had taken Jared out of the room after a while. The rose garden had seemed a better alternative for them to pass some time.

Watching Jared prune the roses was like some bizarre flashback. Twice during their time outside, Jensen had found himself drawn to Jared's side. He had no idea if Jared was going to disappear back into his dream again. Each time Jared looked over at him, he was relieved to see the life in his eyes and the gentle smile on his lips.

Jared stayed right with Jensen, just like he kept saying he would.

Jeff moved quickly. Once Misha was exhausted enough that he headed to his own office for a break, Jeff had called Jim.

It had been a brief conversation. Just as Jensen had thought, Jim had agreed quickly to Jared staying at Warrington. He'd gone one step further than Jensen had expected and offered his own spare room to Jared indefinitely.

When Jeff had explained the plan to Jared he had turned to Jensen and smiled. Jared's smile, however, had less to do with Jeff's plan and more to do with Jensen's work-around. Jared seemed to have learned quickly that the best place to get the truth was from Jensen's thoughts.

The plan _Jensen_ had hatched worked smoothly. He and Jared had said their goodbyes early in the evening. Jeff had looked sad when Jim arrived to pick up the _boys_. Misha had looked frustrated.

The ride to Warrington had been eventful. Jared had almost fallen out of the door once, and then nearly killed them when entering random numbers into the control panel. The entire time, he'd seemed happy and Jensen had begun to wonder what he was getting himself into.

Jensen had never been so glad to see the Warrington Institute Gates slide closed behind him. They were safe.

Because the Warrington Institute was one of the certified NewGen Guide Centers, no one could enter or leave without permission. Not even law enforcement teams were allowed in uninvited. NewGens could be very fragile and unstable when learning to control their skills. It was safer for everyone if the environment was strictly controlled.

It had taken Jensen almost an hour to convince Jim that his cottage was the _perfect_ place for Jared to acclimatize to the real world. Jim had insisted on Jensen's agreeing to bring Jared to the main building three times a week to meet with Misha.

Meetings with Misha had been a sticking point for Jensen. He didn't doubt Misha's skill; the counsellor was hired for his ability to work with NewGens who were mentally incapacitated as a result of their skills. In the end, Jared had assured Jensen that he was okay meeting with Misha. He said, with that slight smile on his face, that nothing Misha could say or do would change his mind about Jensen.

By the time everything was settled, Jensen was exhausted. He had no idea how Jared had managed to stay awake at the Center all day. Jim had noticed Jensen's third yawn and offered them a ride to Jensen's cottage. For the first time since he'd moved there, Jensen had accepted Jim's offer.

Those were the events of the day that had led to them standing just inside the door of Jensen's cottage.

Jared had a small bag slung over his shoulder. It wasn't like he had a lot of possessions. He'd taken the clothes he'd been given and a small drive of images Jeff had saved for him since he'd been admitted.

"Well," Jensen said as he pressed the security key pad by the door to lock up. "Here we are. It's not the biggest house in the world but it's right on the lake. You'll see it in the morning."

Nodding, Jared put his bag down and took a few steps down the hall. His head swivelled slowly as he took everything in. He smiled when he looked at the old-style watercolor on the wall.

"I got that from my mom. It's her painting. It's funny, I always used to look at that and think about how wonderful it would be to live on a lake, surrounded by trees. Now, that's where I am." 

Jensen knew that Jared was able to pull the thoughts right from his mind but he still spoke. Maybe he wanted to hear the sound of his own voice. Whatever the reason for Jensen's need to speak, Jared didn't seem to mind listening.

"It's beautiful," Jared said softly.

"I'll show you the lake in the morning. I think you'll like it." The cottage was cool after being unoccupied for days and Jensen rubbed his hands together.

Glancing over his shoulder, Jared smiled. "I'd like that."

Nervous, Jensen returned the smile then leaned down to untie his boots so he could toe them off.

As he'd done so many times at the Center, Jared mimicked Jensen and slipped off his own shoes. "What now?"

Jensen knew that Jared _knew_ what he was thinking. He wanted to go to bed. He also knew that he was going to go crazy if he continued to worry about what Jared did and didn't know.

"Can we talk, Jared?"

"Yes." Without waiting for another word, Jared headed into the living room.

Groaning, Jensen followed. When he rounded the corner he saw Jared already sitting on the sofa by the patio door.

It was Jensen's favorite spot in the house. He settled at the opposite end of the couch to Jared.

"It makes it difficult for you when I know what you're thinking," Jared said. He pulled one leg up onto the sofa and stared at Jensen intently.

"Not difficult so much.." It was hard to explain why people rarely, if ever, said exactly what they were thinking. Jensen's lack of a filter between his brain and his mouth got him in enough trouble and he couldn't even read peoples' minds.

"It's complicated," Jared offered.

Jensen would have laughed if he had the energy. "Jared, are you able to - is there a way you can _not_ read my mind? When TelPats are trained here we call it learning to _contain_."

"I can do that," Jared said. "Would that be easier for you?"

There was no point in lying. "It would make it easier for now." Apparently, everything about Jared was unique. If he'd learned how to contain his telepathy on his own he really _was_ remarkable. There were TelPats who never mastered the skill and weren't suitable for guiding.

"It might make _you_ feel more comfortable sometimes too." It was probably nothing that would come up again for a long time but it made Jensen feel better to say it.

"It's alright," Jared said. "I know you care about me. I'm not worried about you wanting some privacy." The smile on Jared's face softened and he blinked the hair out of his eyes.

Jensen was a little more amazed every time Jared spoke to him. "You're too good to be true."

Jared laughed softly and turned to look out the window. "I bet the lake is beautiful in the morning light."

"It is," Jensen answered. He'd spent many mornings watching the sun rise. Dreamskimming sometimes left Jensen sleepless. Other peoples' nightmares could make it really difficult for Jensen to relax and close his eyes. 

Jared looked back at Jensen and pressed his lips together. He looked thoughtful. "You were tired when we left the Center; you must need sleep."

There was no doubt about it, Jensen was exhausted. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so tired. Nodding, he shifted a little closer to Jared and held out his hand.

Smiling, Jared slid his fingers between Jensen's.

"There's an extra room, like I told Jeff. That wasn't a lie. It's up to you though if you want the bedroom…"

"If I have to sleep, I want to be near you, Jensen."

It hadn't even occurred to Jensen that going back to sleep might not be high on Jared's list of things to do.

"Jared, if you need me to stay awake with you-"

"It's fine," Jared broke in. He didn't seem too distressed; in fact, he looked quite relaxed.

The nice, warm bed upstairs was calling to Jensen. He stood and pulled Jared up off the couch.

"C'mon. I'll show you my bedroom." A little nip of guilt caught Jensen off guard. He was way too tired to think through everything but he really _liked_ Jared. It wasn't just that the guy was six foot five and handsome as all hell. It wasn't even all about the fact that those fox-like eyes made Jensen's insides twist up into knots. For some reason, Jensen lost his train of thought.

Giving up, Jensen pulled Jared towards the stairs.

One of Jensen's favorite rooms in the cottage was his bedroom. It was the first room he'd fixed up when he'd moved in. It was average-sized. Not even the largest of the three bedrooms. What it did have was a bay window that almost took up the entire front wall.

When Jensen had bought his old-fashioned bed, just like the ones his father had always insisted on, he'd put it in the window.

On a clear night he could lie in bed and stare up at the stars. It was the most peaceful place he'd ever lived.

"Just like sleeping outside," Jared murmured. He went straight over to the window, which didn't surprise Jensen. It was already apparent that Jared loved being outside. It made sense. Jared had spent most of his life trapped inside a dream. Jensen was only beginning to scratch the surface of what it had been like for Jared. 

There wasn't a muscle in Jensen's body that didn't ache, in spite of the jangling of nerves he was dealing with, He began to get undressed. He pulled his shirt off and dropped it into the laundering chute. He paused there for a few moments, thinking about clothes; overcome by the idea that Jared didn't even have clothes for going out in public.

"Jared? Any clothes you need to be cleaned, just drop them in here." 

"Okay."

"Clothes. _God_. Wear what you want of mine. The closet has most of what you'll need. My pants will be a little short for you…" Jensen sighed and ran his hand back and forth over his hair.

"It's alright, Jensen. We can figure it out later."

Relieved, Jensen nodded and unfastened his pants. He let them slip off his hips and simply stepped out of them.

"You are _very_ tired," Jared said as he turned away from the window.

"I am." Jensen flashed a quick smile at Jared and let himself fall face-first onto the bed.

The sound of Jared's laughter was soothing and Jensen couldn't help grinning into the quilt.

He heard some material rustling and assumed Jared was undressing. "Are you tired?"

"I don't want to sleep."

"Why not?" Jensen tucked his arms under his chin and tried to focus his eyes on Jared.

"Worried he'll be there waiting for me." Jared's voice wavered slightly. It was the first time since he'd awoken that he'd brought up the dream. 

Guilt hit Jensen like a punch in the middle of the chest. He really was kind of an asshole. With everything that had gone on - the arguing, the planning, the return home - Jensen had completely forgotten that it had only been hours since Jared had stopped running from a murderer.

"Jared, I'm an idiot. I didn't even think about-"

"It's alright, Jensen." Jared had stripped down to his underwear and was standing at the side of the bed.

The bruises on Jared's chest had darkened since Jensen had last seen them; even the cuts had healed a little. The fact that the bruising had carried over from the dream to real life was frightening; it was proof that they could have been killed in the dream. 

Jared must have noticed that Jensen was staring. He slid his palm over his chest and sighed. "They don't hurt much anymore, only if I bump something against them."

"I have some rub for that in the drawer. Jim has this thing about natural remedies," Jensen said. "When I moved here I started working out for the first time and was always bashing the hell out of myself on the equipment."

Rolling to the side and off the quilt, Jensen stood to pull the quilt back. "Get in."

He didn't wait for Jared, just slid under the quilt and held his hand out. Jared took it quickly and climbed into bed. As Jared got himself settled and comfortable, Jensen reached behind him to get the jar of ointment.

"The blanket is soft," Jared said. He was running the pads of his fingers over the material, following the patterns.

"I like it." Jensen twisted the lid of the jar and stuck his fingers in. "Drop the cover."

The cover slid down Jared's body as he tugged on it. The bruise was revealed slowly and Jensen winced involuntarily. The bruise was a darker purple around the edges, almost black in the center. Jensen was still trying to process the idea that it was done _inside_ a dream.

"I didn't know he could hurt you like that," Jensen said softly. He rubbed his hands together to spread out the ointment a bit then slid both hands over Jared's skin. 

Jared sucked in a quick breath and Jensen froze. "Sorry-"

"It doesn't hurt," Jared said quickly.

It was then that Jared noticed the pink tinge on Jared's cheeks, the way his pupils had widened and the way his breathing seemed shallow. _Touch_. The enormity of it all hit Jensen again. He was beginning to feel a little like he was being pummelled by realization after realization. There were so many things that Jared had never experienced; it was daunting. He couldn't help wondering if things would ever be _normal_ for Jared - and what the _hell_ would that mean for the people in his life?

Jared cleared his throat as Jensen's fingers began to move against his flesh again. "If I'm not allowed in your mind, am I allowed to ask you what you're thinking?"

"Of course." A smile glided onto Jensen's lips. 

"You were staring at my bruise. Does it bother you?" Jared looked slightly self-conscious.

"Bother me? No." The skin on Jared's chest was smooth and warm and Jensen was enjoying the sensation of tracing the slight curves with his fingers. It was obvious that Jared was enjoying it as well; his skin was flushed and he kept licking his lips.

Frankly, it was a little difficult for Jensen not to watch every time the pink tip of Jared's tongue slipped out.

Concentrating on smoothing the ointment over the darkest parts of the bruise, Jensen kept his eyes on Jared's chest. "I was thinking about how scary it is that he could hurt you in your dream and it came back here with you. I guess, somehow, I'd convinced myself it wasn't like that. Not that I was examining your body all the time." Realizing how that sounded, Jensen looked up sheepishly and shrugged.

There was a smile on Jared face when Jensen looked up. He looked back down quickly and pressed one palm to Jared's chest gently. "It will hurt less in a few minutes and it will heal faster now."

Jared took Jensen's hand and brought it up to his nose. "I like the way it smells."

The smile on Jensen's face wavered slightly and he bit down on his bottom lip. He was pretty damn sure that he didn't have enough willpower to stay with Jared for an extended period of time without … well.

Retreating slowly, Jensen settled on his side of the bed. He'd never even had a _side_ before. The whole bed had been his since he'd bought it.

Without waiting for an invitation, Jared shifted over to press up against Jensen's side. "I like it here. I like it here with _you_."

"I'm glad." Jensen let his eyes close and tried not to pay attention to the heat emanating from Jared's body. As exhausted as he was, it was no easy task trying to keep their relationship from progressing too quickly.

Oh, it wasn't his plan to keep things the way they were forever, but Jared hadn't even spent an entire day _awake_.

Jensen was yanked from his thoughts by the feel of Jared's fingers ghosting over his chest. The touch felt like it was searing Jensen's flesh. His lashes fluttered and he sucked in a deep breath. The choice to share his bedroom with Jared was really not the wisest one he'd ever made.

"Are you alright, Jensen?" There was concern written all over Jared's face. His brow was furrowed, eyes narrowed slightly.

"Thank you," Jensen murmured. His voice sounded a little too breathy and his heart was racing.

"For what?" Jared propped himself up on his elbow so he could peer down at Jensen's face.

"For not reading my thoughts, I didn't...it must be -" Frustrated at himself, and his complete inability to express himself, Jensen groaned.

"Jensen? If I go to sleep will you be there?" Jared's fingers bumped over Jensen's ribs as his hand moved higher.

"I - I can't. I've been skimming too often. When you threw me - when I was thrown it was like being drained. Jeff told the truth. The last time I went to find you in your dream was really hard for me. And, I'm _so_ damn tired, Jared. Like - aching in my bones - tired. And the way you're touching me, having you this close is really distracting and scary and - God - I shouldn't be saying any of this."

There was a very strange expression on Jared's face. He looked amused and sad at the same time. Of course, Jensen could just be so tired he was finally losing his mind.

The entire time Jensen had been speaking Jared's hand had continued to move on Jensen's body. Those long fingers were spread along his collarbone and Jensen was beginning to feel like he was drunk or drugged. There was heat buzzing through his body.

"I like it when you talk," Jared said quietly.

Jensen smiled weakly and reached up to cover Jared's hand with his own. "How do you know everything you do?"

Tilting his head slightly, Jared looked puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Well. You were what? Five or six years old when your parents were murdered?"

Remaining silent, Jared nodded.

"You went straight into that dream world. But you - you're a man." It wasn't lost on Jensen that he was beginning to sound a little loopy.

"Why did I _grow up_? Is that what you're asking me?" Jared's thumb traced the edge of Jensen's restlessly.

Nodding, thankful that Jared was able to glean something from Jensen's poorly-phrased question. "Apart from the fact that you are new to some things, it's not like time stopped for you. You learned and changed just like someone might who was living a normal life."

Looking thoughtful, Jared let his gaze wander down Jensen's body. "I guess I wasn't ever really completely alone. In the quiet times, when it was safe I could _feel_ other people, hear the stories they were too afraid to share, feel the things they felt."

As exhausted as he was, Jensen was still able to follow Jared's explanation and it _did_ make sense. With more than one NewGen talent activated by his switch gene; Jared was kind of like a sponge soaking up thoughts and feelings.

"So - you've _felt_ all this before? Being safe? Living? Touching? But through the people who were around you?"

Jared nodded slowly. "But, it's not the same. It's … hollow inside _that_ place. Like some crucial ingredient is missing.

Rather suddenly, Jared leaned down and let his sealed lips brush softly over Jensen's shoulder. When he spoke, his breath tickled the tiny hairs on Jensen's skin. "I've felt what it was like for someone else to do this but doing it myself…" 

Adrenaline raced through Jensen's veins. "It. It feels better?"

Jared looked up at Jensen. "It does."

"I understand," Jensen said. His voice was deep; exhaustion and desire were all twisted up together inside him. The effect was kind of dizzying.

Jensen curled his arm up and stroked his fingers over Jared's hair. "Are you tired at all?"

Nodding, Jared rubbed his lips further along Jensen's skin. He inhaled deeply as though he was trying to draw in the scent of Jensen's body.

Heat was sparking along Jensen's skin like an electrical charge. He'd never felt anything before that felt so amazing and heart-stopping at the same time. "Jared?"

Letting out a happy sigh, Jared rested his chin on Jensen's shoulder. "Yes?"

"I need to sleep and you -and you…" Groaning, Jensen rolled into Jared's body and claimed his mouth.

A small sound burst from Jared's lips and he froze for a moment then _melted_ in Jensen's arms. His mouth softened under Jensen's and his body pressed closer.

Jensen took control of the kiss; he drew Jared's bottom lip into his mouth and sucked on it until Jared whimpered softly.

When Jared's nails scraped down Jensen's chest, he moaned and thrust his tongue forward.

The wet heat of Jared's mouth was the most intoxicating thing in the world to Jensen. As his tongue explored the sweetness of Jared's mouth, his fingers untangled from Jared's hair and travelled down the long stretch of flesh on his neck.

 _God._. Nothing Jensen had ever experienced could compare to what Jared felt like under his hands.

He was all smooth, hot, flesh and gentle curves and _Jesus_ , the man was perfect in so many ways.

Jensen's thumb traced the sharp cut of Jared's hipbone. He loved the way his hand curled _just_ right over Jared's hip.

Trusting, submitting himself to Jensen's will, Jared leaned into the kiss like he was getting his very breath from it.

It was almost more than Jensen could take. His blood was racing, he was so hard he ached. His emotions were a whirlwind. He pulled back just enough to murmur against Jared's lips. "Love touching you."

Jared was panting softly, each breath shaky and weak. His face was beautiful; black filled his eyes, his cheeks were aflame with color. There was an expression of absolute pleasure on his face. Innocence and pleasure.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked Jared.

Blinking, Jared half smiled again and seemed to be trying to catch his breath. "You need sleep," he finally said in a soft voice.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Jensen knew Jared was right. He'd never been more tired in his life. _Never_.

Jared ran a hand through his hair and leaned forward to press his lips to Jensen's shyly. "Feeling kisses myself is very different."

Laughing softly, Jensen wrapped his arms tightly around Jared. He squeezed him tightly, almost afraid he would disappear at any moment.

"Sleep, Jensen." The whisper against Jensen's ear sent a shiver down his body.

"Promise me you'll still be here in the morning."

Jared nodded. "I will be here in the morning."

Closing his eyes, Jensen rested his forehead against Jared's. "Wish I could come into your dream," he murmured.

"I wish you could too," Jared answered quietly. "There will be plenty of time though, right?"

Nodding ever so slightly, Jensen could feel himself losing his battle with sleep. _Crazy_ , he managed to think before the fuzzy darkness of sleep rolled over him.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

The strangest dream lingered in Jensen's mind when he woke in the morning. There were rose petals everywhere. They floated down from the sky, they gathered around Jensen's feet. 

When he opened his eyes, Jensen was _certain_ he could still smell the flowers. Smiling, he shook his head slightly. Having Jared around was making Jensen believe in the _strangest_ things.

 _Jared_.

Jared was only lying inches away from Jensen. His hair was tousled, some pasted to his forehead. He was breathing slow and steady; a sure sign that he was having a restful sleep, maybe even a pleasant dream.

Thick, dark lashes were fanned out over Jared's pale skin. It made Jensen wonder what Jared would look like after some days in the sun.

Leaning down, Jensen left a soft kiss on the bow of Jared's lips. The sleep warm scent of their bodies wafted up from under the quilt and Jensen took a deep breath. _Them_. They could be an _us_. The crooked smile on Jensen's lips grew a little.

After a final look at Jared's peaceful expression, Jensen leaned down and slid his lips over Jared's as his fingers danced over Jared's bare belly.

"Mmmm." Jared's body lifted slightly into the touch of Jensen's fingers.

"Morning, Jared." The greeting set off a little burst of unfamiliar happiness in Jensen's chest. He'd never imagined himself as the kind of guy who would want to wake up _next_ to someone. His life had been complicated enough when he'd had to deal with his skimming, let alone anything interpersonal. In spite of it all, he may have managed to find the one person who would actually be able to understand the way his life worked.

Jared's cheek was soft against the tip of Jensen's nose. "Wake up, sleepy. The sun's out, the lake will be beautiful today."

"Do I like lakes?" Jared mumbled. Without opening his eyes, Jared managed to find Jensen's lips for a brief kiss.

"You love lakes. And my pancakes are way better than anything you've had at the Center." Jensen looked proud of himself.

"We'll see," Jared said.

"Did you dream?"

Jared's eyes opened slowly and he nodded before slipping his arm over Jensen's shoulder. "Just a plain old dream."

The sunlight was streaming through the window above the bed. When he tilted his head to stretch Jared blinked then squinted at Jensen. "That's very bright."

Laughing, Jensen reached over their heads to brush a dimmer on the window. The panes darkened slightly and filtered out some of the light.

"Better," Jared said groggily.

"Good." Another kiss seemed like the way to go. Jensen could see it becoming an addiction very quickly.

Jensen slid the quilt down to Jared's slender hips. After a moment to appreciate the view, Jensen checked the bruises on Jared's chest. "Healing already. Told ya."

Rubbing a hand across his chest, Jared took a deep breath as though testing to see if it hurt. "Yeah, better. Thank you."

"When did you fall asleep?" It had been clear the night before that Jared was frightened to go to sleep in case he returned to the torturous dream.

"Not long after you did. I think I was more tired than I realized. It was too quiet without you talking."

"Too quiet?"

"There were so many people at the Center. Thoughts, feelings and so many voices." Jared looked a little wistful and Jensen found it hard to believe all the craziness that seemed to happen around Jared had been pleasurable for him.

"Didn't all that get on your nerves?" 

Jared pressed his lips together and shook his head. "The only lonely place was in that dream."

It needed no explanation. Jensen knew exactly what dream Jared meant. "I'm glad you don't have to go there anymore."

"I hope - Jensen? Do you think I'll dream it again some day?" 

"Honestly? I don't know. But Jared? If it does happen I will come and find you again."

Jared looked comforted by Jensen's promise, so that was something. "Maybe you and Misha can figure out how it happened in the first place You created quite a world in there."

Nodding, Jared closed his eyes for a few moments. "I guess it was elaborate but it wasn't conscious. I was far too young to know what I was doing. I was running."

"You were protecting yourself, Jared. There's nothing wrong with that." The idea that Jared may harbour any guilt about what happened was crazy. A five year-old had no control over the way he behaved when scared out of his wits.

There was a haunted look on Jared's face. "Maybe. Maybe I should have done something different."

Jensen shook his head. He wouldn't let Jared believe that he was to blame in any way. But. There were a lot of reasons that Jensen shouldn't go messing around in Jared's memories.

"Jared, I need some clues for how to help you through this. It's so far out there - and I can't even deal with the idea that I might make things worse for you." Even though he wasn't on good terms with Misha, he realized he was going to have to put that aside and enlist the man's help.

"Just being here with you helps." Jared reached down and took Jensen's hand. " _This_ is what I need more of."

Frowning, Jensen ducked his head down to catch Jared's eye. "What? Holding hands?"

"No. Touch. Touching. You," Jared said as though it was the final answer to every question.

Jensen smiled.

"It was a long time," Jared said softly. "And, well." Jared went quiet.

"And?"

Jared's eyes fixed on Jensen's, searching, trying to find answers it seemed.

"Jensen, it was hard," Jared began slowly. "I was hearing and feeling all those things; they should have been wonderful. But, they - I should have been allowed to feel them all first hand."

It was impossible for Jensen to imagine what Jared had been through. _Impossible_. He tried to put himself in Jared's place. He'd tried to imagine what it would have been like if the dreams he'd skimmed had been the only experience he'd had with touch. Jared's words were as close as Jensen would ever get to understanding any of it.

"You should have, Jared. You're right. You shouldn't have missed out on anything like that." Jensen almost felt angry on Jared's behalf. Maybe because he didn't feel like there was a single thing he could do to make reparations.

"Don't be angry," Jared admonished softly. " _You_ are changing things. This is the beginning of the good things, right?"

Pushing his lips into a smile, Jensen nodded reluctantly. It didn't feel as though he would ever be doing enough for Jared.

Jared's hand settled on Jensen's cheek, thumb rubbing slowly over flushed skin. "You came and found me."

The intensity in Jared's eyes was scorching. There was no way that Jensen could doubt Jared's sincerity.

"You have the most honest eyes," Jensen murmured. He grinned sheepishly. Jared made him say some of the strangest things.

But, he forgot his slight embarrassment quickly when a huge grin appeared on Jared's face. He found himself wishing he could be the person who always put that grin there. Maybe _that_ was something he could focus on.

"Let's shower then we can have breakfast and maybe go and see the lake. Did I tell you I have a boat down there?" He watched as Jared's eyes lit up.

"I've never been in a boat."

"You'll love it. But shower first," Jensen said.

"Are you going first?" Jared withdrew his hand and tucked it back under the quilt.

The notion of being able to surprise Jared a little made Jensen's heart a little lighter. He reached under the quilt and grabbed Jared's hand to pull him out of the bed. "We, Jared, are going to shower together."

"Together?"

"As in, both in there at the same time. Yes. Trust me, you'll like it." Jensen rolled back off the bed and tugged on Jared's hand.

Wide-eyed, Jared followed hesitantly. He crawled to the side of the mattress and dropped his feet to the floor. "Is there room?"

Winking, Jensen pulled Jared up to his feet and walked backwards a few steps. “The idea is to be close together, naked and wet. You really want to worry about how _big_ the shower is?"

Mutely, looking a little taken aback, Jared shook his head. He was still following Jensen, although there was a flush creeping up his body.

Jensen stopped and squinted his eyes slightly as he peered at Jared. "Unless, of course, you don't...want to."

Eyes widening, Jared nodded. Then he looked confused and shook his head. "I want to," he said finally.

Chuckling, Jensen continued walking backwards and kept Jared's hands _firmly_ in his. He wasn't going to let shyness prevent Jared from doing a single thing.

Stumbling slightly, Jared smiled and ended up almost pressed to Jensen's chest. "Sorry."

"I'm not." Jensen leaned forward to leave a trail of kisses along Jared's cheekbone.

The bathroom door swung open when Jensen bumped into it. The room was warm and Jensen smiled as he pulled Jared in after him.

It only took a slide of his finger across the wall pad to start the shower. Jensen didn't like to be _surrounded_ by technology but there were some things he wasn't prepared to be without.

The room felt warmer very quickly. Moisture in the air was making the ends of Jared's hair curl; little wisps of brown against his pale skin.

Jensen hooked his fingers over the waistband of his boxers and pushed them down over his hips. Just the thought of what was to come had made his cock swell. He reminded himself sternly about the _going slow_ part of his plan.

When Jared reached for his own boxers, his hands were trembling.

Jensen reached out and stopped Jared's hand. "It's okay to leave them on, if you want."

Looking a little defiant, Jared shook off Jensen's hand and shoved his boxers down.

Jensen kept his eyes locked on Jared's.

The shower door slid back automatically and Jensen stepped in. Finally, he let go of Jared's hands. The last part of the trip had to be under his own steam.

After a quick breath, Jared stepped into the spray of warm water. The moment the water touched Jared's skin, he closed his eyes and sighed happily, fingers finding Jensen's bare hip. The moment his fingers touched flesh, Jared's eyes popped open.

"You alright?" Jensen murmured.

Nodding, Jared lifted his other hand and rested it on Jensen's chest. He moved his hand slowly, lingering over Jensen's nipple, watching as the dark rose flesh hardened.

Jensen closed his eyes and focused on the touch. Even though Jared's movements were hesitant, the firm pressure of his touch seemed curious, and somehow _sure_.

As the hot water slid in rivulets down Jensen's body, all he could do was stand there.

The touches, the gentle presses from Jared's fingers were perfect and exciting. Heat whirled deep inside Jensen's belly and he clenched his fists to keep his hands at his sides. The last thing he wanted to do was move too quickly and frighten Jared.

Jared slid both hands up over Jensen's shoulders and clasped them behind his neck. Swaying closer he kissed his way along Jensen's jaw until he could whisper against his ear. "I'm not going to break if you touch me."

Laughing softly, Jensen settled one hand on Jared's back, the other he slid into Jared's wet hair. The long strands tangled around Jensen's fingers and he grasped tightly to hold Jared still.

Steam swirled up around them and Jensen let his mouth slide wet and longingly over Jared's. He _loved_ the way Jared arched forward, his spine a gentle curve to ensure more skin against skin.

Jared kissed the same way he seemed to do _everything_. It was gentle and sweet, curious and _so_ free for someone who'd spent so much of his life imprisoned.

"You feel so good." Jensen let the words spill into Jared's mouth then trying to recapture them with his tongue.

When Jensen's tongue slid deeply into Jared's mouth everything seemed to shudder. The weight of Jared's _being_ crashed into Jensen. However Jared had been managing to contain his mind; it seemed to be failing.

It was like the most intense feedback Jensen had ever felt. When he tightened his grip on Jared's hair, the desire that tore through Jared's body was projected onto Jensen as well.

Jared moaned quietly and retreated a little. He whispered against Jensen's slick lips. "I'm sorry. Sorry, I can't-"

"Don't. It's okay." Jensen let the tip of his tongue trace the length of Jared's bottom lip.

More delicious waves of desire ricocheted through Jensen's body. It was a struggle to breathe; it was _absolutely_ a struggle to keep from shoving Jared back against the slick, cool tile to pin him there.

The next sweep of Jensen's lips bypassed Jared's mouth and landed on the man's long neck. The water had heated Jared's skin and Jensen lapped at it slowly.

Each pass of Jensen's tongue over Jared's skin seemed to provoke another rippling wave of pleasure. _God_ , Jensen was already wrecked and they were barely touching each other.

Jared almost collapsed and Jensen only just managed to catch him. He cradled the man close to his body, lips pressed to his temple. "You okay?"

Jared gave a slight nod and dipped his head down to suck and nip his way down Jensen's neck.

A moan escaped Jensen's mouth and he tried to keep his breathing steady. It wasn't going to do them any good if they _both_ lost control. 

There was a desperation in the way Jared was devouring Jensen's flesh. Jensen kept a tight hold on Jared with his right hand and slapped his left against the tiled wall for support. If he wasn't careful they were going to end up in a heap in the bottom of the shower.

The water was hot and stinging the back of Jensen's neck. The heat was a little overwhelming - or - maybe it was the way Jared's fingers were continuing their journey down his body.

Jensen gasped when Jared slid a hand over the globe of his ass and squeezed. His next breath out was a shuddering wheeze. Jared was killing him.

Water-slick, their skin moved together easily. Jared murmured something that Jensen couldn't make out. the spray of the water was so loud, and the steam was hot in his lungs. The whole thing left him lightheaded and weak.

Jared's hands slid all the way down to Jensen's thighs. He squeezed the strong muscles before sliding his palms back up Jensen's body all over again. It was like he was trying to memorize every inch.

As soon as Jared's mouth was within striking distance, Jensen claimed his mouth in a rough kiss. He just couldn't hold back anymore. He'd reached about every limit he had.

"Jesus, Jared." The words vibrated between their lips and Jared clawed at Jensen's back to bring him closer.

The swollen length of Jared's arousal was pressed against Jensen's thigh. Jared's body pushed harder against Jensen's and then slid down a little. 

"Jensen, I …" Jared's voice broke and his arms slid around Jensen's neck. Clumsily, he yanked him forward into a crushing kiss.

This time it was Jared's tongue that slid forward first. There was no finesse, he just slid his hot tongue into Jensen's mouth while trembling in his arms.

Jensen could feel how close Jared was to falling apart. He pulled back from the kiss and held Jared's head still with his fingers tight on the man's jaw and neck.

"Hey, Jared."

When Jared looked up, his eyes were heavy-lidded and dark. He turned his face into the water then shook his head. For a moment, Jensen was lost looking at the small drops of water on Jared's eyelashes, then he recovered himself. "I - uh, stop me if I do anything that isn't okay."

Jared took a moment to wipe the hair back from his forehead. He nodded, then let his head fall forward heavily. All the hair felt back into his eyes again.

The time, Jensen slid his fingers into Jared's long hair and slid it back out of his eyes. He smiled, then held Jared still as he leaned in to tease him.

Jensen's lips hovered _just_ over Jared's without touching them. "Like this touching thing so far?" He whispered.

All Jared seemed able to do was moan. Nails dug into Jensen's shoulder blades as Jared tried desperately to pull the man closer.

When Jared's hips pressed forward, urging, begging, Jensen decided to keep the teasing for another time.

Sliding one arm under Jared's and around his body, Jensen closed the distance between their lips. Their mouths crashed together, Jared groaned and Jensen felt like flames were burning down his spine. He let his teeth drag over Jared's bottom lip as his free hand traced a path down Jared's side. When the pads of his fingers bumped over Jared's hipbone, Jensen twisted his hips back to give himself more room to move.

The water was racing down Jensen's back; he turned them slowly, grabbed Jared's hair and pulled his head back until the spray was running down his face.

He watched as Jared's lips parted to let out a gasp and leaned in to suck on the man's bottom lip. As he worked Jared's mouth he moved his free hands across Jared's belly. He liked the feel of soft skin under the hot water. He could feel muscles tightening under his palm at the same time as Jared's tongue sneaked forward to lap at Jensen's mouth.

_Amazing._

When Jensen's fingers slid around the warm weight of Jared's cock, the flesh was fever-hot. The weight of it felt amazing across his palm. Also amazing, was the way that Jared's entire body arched forward into the touch as though his life depended on it.

Jared murmured something unintelligible and Jensen smiled against Jared's mouth. The whole kissing thing was going really well for Jared; he was a quick study.

Widening his stance, Jensen got his fingers wrapped around Jared's hardness. He was rewarded with another moan against his ear and slid his hand up to the sensitive head of Jared's cock.

Jared's entire body jolted and his touch became a little more frantic. His mouth dragged across Jensen''s cheek and then he was panting harshly against Jensen's ear again.

Moving his hand slowly at first, Jensen swept his thumb through pre-come and back down over velvety skin again - so close to Jared's body.

His strokes fell into a rhythm. He could _feel_ that Jared was close to coming. All the desire, the want - all of the feelings between them were surrounding Jensen. It was more than Jared being in his arms. It was like Jared was absolutely everywhere.

Jared's open, wet mouth moved across Jensen's cheek until he could lick at Jensen's lips. It was the _best_ feeling. He _loved_ that Jared wanted every touch so badly.

As Jareds hips rocked forward and back faster; Jensen took back control of the kiss. He ran his tongue along Jared's smooth teeth as he stroked his cock a little faster.

Jared's moans and gasps were almost non-stop. The rise and fall of his chest was going at a crazy pace. His hips were snapping forward again and again.

With a slight twist of his hips Jensen could rub his own aching arousal against the smooth flesh of Jared's firm thigh.

Each time Jared moaned, Jensen felt the pleasure that was twisting through the man's body. It was like drowning in pleasure. It was inside him, all around him.

Their wet bodies slid together, they moaned into each kiss as they traded breath. They couldn't stop moving, not for an instant and neither one of them wanted to let go.

Jared reared back from the kiss and sucked in a huge breath of air; his hand slapped down _hard_ on Jensen's shoulder. His lips parted as he let out a sigh of pleasure. He threw his head back and let Jensen bear his weight as he gave a final thrust forward that slid his cock across Jensen's palm

Jensen felt each throb of Jared's release and just led him through it. He peppered Jared's face with gentle kisses until he hit his own peak so violently it felt like he would snap in two. 

The strength seemed to drain from Jared's body; he collapsed against Jensen and they both fell against the cool tiled wall.

For a moment there seemed to be arms and legs everywhere then Jensen managed to get both his arms under Jared's. He buried his face in Jared's long, damp hair and let the remaining waves of desire wash over them. It was like an ever-decreasing echo of bliss. Desire, _want_ , pleasure and release all at once, fading away slowly.

Jared's hand curved over Jensen's shoulder and he finally managed to lift his head. There was a dopey smile on Jared's face and Jensen couldn't help laughing softly.

Smoothing Jared's wet hair back off his forehead, Jensen smiled. He pressed a chaste kiss to the height of Jared's cheekbone. "Okay?"

"It was. It was. I…" Jared's brow furrowed and he settled for crushing his lips to Jensen's one more time.

After all, they _both_ knew how it had felt for each other. The fading echoes of pleasure were still crackling back and forth between them.

"Best shower _I_ ever had," Jensen said when he broke from the kiss.

Jensen slid his hand along the tiles to find the internal control panel. With a wave of his fingers he stopped the flow of water.

"Showers are better than I expected," Jared said softly.

Half-smiling, Jensen frowned. "You never had a shower?"

" _Not_ like this," Jared said with very wide, dark eyes.

Cocking an eyebrow, Jensen nodded and grinned. He had high hopes that he could make a _lot_ of experiences more memorable for Jared.

"Okay, Tiger. We need to dry off." He pushed at Jared's shoulder gently to get him to turn and step out of the shower.

A little wobbly on his legs, Jared stumbled towards the huge stack of fluffy white towels that was on the counter. He pulled one off the top of the pile and handed it to Jensen then took another for himself. He slung it around his shoulders and shivered slightly at the change in temperature.

Jensen slung his towel round his waist then reached over to grab Jared's. He repositioned it around Jared's slender waist, tucked the end of it in against Jared's warm belly and winked. "There. You can wear that to breakfast and after we eat we can pick out some of my clothes for you. Yeah?"

Jared nodded, his shy smile back again. The difference was that, now, Jensen knew exactly how much curiosity there was behind that expression.


	5. Chapter 5

The kitchen table looked like a buffet. Jensen had cooked pancakes, scrambled eggs, pan-fried potatoes and toast. There were four different containers of jam, each of them a different flavor. Half-finished glasses of orange juice, milk and soda water were lined up in front of Jared.

For his part, Jared was slouched down in his chair rubbing his belly. He'd eaten _so_ much that he'd had to loosen the towel around his waist. After a brief flash of most of his body and some laughter, Jensen had showed Jared how to fasten it around his hips again.

Most of the food had been a great success. The only thing Jared wasn't sure he liked were the eggs.

"I know they fed you at the Center. Was it really that different?"

Shrugging a shoulder, Jared picked up another piece of bacon and folded it into his mouth. After he chewed for a while he looked up at Jensen. "I don't really remember any of it. There was nothing that stood out enough for me to dream about it."

"Damn. Food's so good though." The idea of not being able to taste good food seemed really unfair to Jensen. He took another big mouthful of coffee and closed his eyes.

Jared laughed. "You're strange. You _love_ coffee and you won't let me try it."

"Ha! No way," Jensen said through his laughter. "No caffeine for you for a while."

"Don't know why," Jared muttered. He didn't do a very good job at looking annoyed; in fact, he sucked at it.

Groaning, Jensen slid his chair back and stood. "Gotta put all this away."

Jared snatched another piece of bacon off the plate and began to put the lids back on the containers in front of him. "Can we have bacon every morning?"

"Nope."

"Can I have coffee this afternoon?"

"No." Jensen stacked some plates in the cleaning drawer and put some leftover food into the wall fridge.

"Can we have a shower again before we go to bed?"

Jensen laughed. He didn't want to say no again but he thought that bed might be a safer place for them if there was going to be any more touching. If things progressed the way he thought they might, one of them was going to end up hurt when they collapsed.

The visitor chime at the front door rang and startled Jared so badly that he jumped up and knocked his chair over.

Holding up his hands, Jensen smiled warmly. "Just letting us know someone's at the door."

Jared's shoulders relaxed and his eyes brightened.

"Could be the landscaper, Kim. She stops by here sometimes for coffee and a talk." Jensen had met the tall, slender brunette woman the year he'd arrived at the Center. He'd been _so_ scared and confused when he'd arrived that he spent a lot of time walking through the acres of gardens. Eventually, he'd overcome his fear of strangers enough to speak to her. By the end of that first week he'd been helping her design and plant flower beds.

"I love roses," Jared said wistfully.

"We can grow some nearer here if you'd like." There wasn't much that Jensen would have the heart to deny Jared.

Padding over to the door, Jensen adjusted his towel. Kim was going to be amused as all hell. She was _always_ nagging Jensen about finding someone. Jared was a _hell_ of a someone.

When Jensen glanced back over his shoulder, Jared was chewing on the end of another piece of bacon as he trailed along.

Laughing, Jensen disengaged the alarm panel and yanked the door open.

The person in the doorway wasn't Kim. There was, in fact, a six foot tall man with dark wavy hair and more than a day's worth of stubble. 

Jared plastered himself to Jensen's back and rested his chin on Jensen's shoulder. "Hi, Jeff!"

"Jared," Jeff said gruffly. Then after a few beats, " _Jensen_."

Jared stepped out from behind Jensen and grinned. "We had a great shower," Jared said proudly. " _Together._ "

Jeff looked like he was going to say something but he ended up simply nodding, then fixing Jensen with a stern gaze.

"Jeff," Jensen said. He could feel his embarrassment pinking up his cheeks and took a few steps back. He grabbed Jared's arm and tugged him away from the door. "We were, uh, just going to go and get dressed."

Jeff nodded and rubbed at the back of his neck.

"There's coffee in the kitchen, so come in and make yourself at home."

"I haven't had coffee," Jared said stoically.

As he stepped into the house Jeff smiled coolly at Jensen then looked over at Jared. "It's nice to know that Jensen is taking such good _care_ of you."

"He really is. We -"

"-were just going to dress," Jensen interrupted. He grabbed Jared's hand quickly and pulled him down the hallway.

Once the bedroom door was closed behind them, Jared whispered, "Jeff looks upset, did we do something wrong?"

"I'll explain while we're picking out some clean clothes," Jensen muttered.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

It took about ten minutes to get Jared into a pair of Jensen's hiking pants and a t-shirt. While they were dressing Jensen tried to explain why it might upset people to find out that they were being physically intimate with one another.

Jensen could tell, by the look on Jared's face that there were a lot of questions brewing. After a promise they would talk about it all later, they headed back to the living room.

Jeff was staring out the front window with a mug of coffee in his hands. "Hi, boys."

Jared smiled warmly and headed over to sit on the couch. He peered over the back of the sofa at the the lake that was spread out before them. "It's beautiful."

Jeff nodded and reached out to grip Jared's shoulder briefly. "It's very beautiful."

"Did you know that Jensen had a boat?" Jared's eyes were bright when he looked over at Jensen. It was that same damn smile that kept melting _everything_ inside Jensen and reminded him how much was at stake.

"Have a seat, Jeff. I'm sorry we kept you waiting. It's been...a bit crazy around here since we got back."

"I can imagine," Jeff said dryly. He strode across in front of Jensen and took the seat beside Jared.

So, _that_ was how it would be. Jensen rolled his bottom lip under his teeth and headed to the armchair opposite the other two men.

Jeff took a sip of coffee and then looked over at Jared. "Mostly, I came here to see how you were doing, Jared. You've been through a lot in the past few days."

 _Days_. Jensen dragged his hand down his face. It was hard to believe that it had only been days since he'd first met Jared. In some ways, it felt as though they had known each other for years.

"I'm … okay," Jared said. "There are some things that I find really confusing, some things are strange and wonderful." Jared pressed his lips together tightly and smoothed his hand down over his borrowed t-shirt.

"It seems like there's a _but_ coming." Jeff's expression softened and he leaned forward to put his mug down on the coffee table.

Shrugging, Jared looked over at Jensen for a few moments before continuing. "Jensen is helping me. He's very patient and sweet. Are you going to take me away from here?"

"Whoa, whoa," Jeff said. "Where did _that_ come from? Honestly, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. It's so new for you."

"Jensen said you might not like it that we-"

"Jared!" Jensen scooted to the edge of his seat and stared across at Jared, silently willing him to be quiet.

"Let him speak, Jensen," Jeff said sharply.

Jared shrank back slightly and pulled his legs up onto the sofa.

"Go on, Jared," Jeff urged.

For Jared's sake, Jensen tried to stay calm. It wouldn't do anyone any good if he sat across the room radiating anger and frustration.

There was a sad expression on Jared's face; it looked almost as though he felt guilty. "Jensen asked me if I would stop reading his thoughts for a while."

Jeff nodded and when Jared looked over at Jensen they both smiled.

"It's hard for me, though. I forget to do it sometimes. So, I know what Jensen feels. He's trying very hard to protect me. Keep things progressing slowly."

Jensen's eyes widened. Jared just kept surprising him.

"That's all," Jared said. "I know he's right but it's a little frustrating. I feel like there's so much that I've missed." Jared shrugged.

Relief washed over Jensen and he sank back into the armchair.

For a while, Jeff was silent. He looked over at Jensen and smiled slightly. "That's great, Jared."

Jensen nodded once then focused on Jared again. "There's lots of time, Jared."

Jeff nodded and picked up his coffee again. Jensen couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh.

"I stopped at Jim's. He let me know about Jared staying here, _but_ , I didn't come here to tear you a new one, Jensen."

"That's a relief," Jensen muttered.

"A new one? Uh. Oh." Jared ducked his head down to hide a smile.

Jensen was pretty sure he saw Jeff roll his eyes, but that was probably a good sign.

"I came here to see how you are, Jared." Jeff smiled at Jared and leaned back on the sofa.

"I'm okay," Jared said quickly. He glanced over at Jensen then looked back at Jeff. "It's going to take some time for me to adjust to things."

"Would you like to speak to me alone, Jared? Would that be more comfortable for you?" Jeff's eyes were gentle under his furrowed brow.

Jensen felt like he should have seen that one coming. But then, he had nothing to hide.

Shaking his head vigorously, Jared actually looked a little anxious. "I - I would like Jensen to stay."

"It's okay, Jared. Everything's fine." Jensen smiled. He hesitated a few moments, watching as Jared's hands moved restlessly in his lap. "Screw this."

Jensen got up and paced over to Jared. "Scoot forwards."

"What?" Jared blinked owlishly then a look of understanding spread over his face. He shifted a little closer to the center of the sofa.

There was just enough room for Jensen to slide in behind Jared. He slid his arms around Jared's waist and pulled him back against his chest. "Better?" he whispered against Jared's ear.

Nodding, Jared folded his arms over Jensen's.

A flood of _peace_ and _warmth_ poured over Jensen. He entire body shuddered as the feelings moved through him.

Jared glanced back over his shoulder and smiled knowingly.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm missing half the damn conversation?" There was an amused expression on Jeff's face. It looked as though he might be starting to realize how well suited to each other Jared and Jensen were.

"All I did was send Jensen my feelings." Jared made it sound like an everyday occurrence.

"That sounds … remarkable," Jeff said.

It sounded to Jensen as though Jeff was a little bit in awe of Jared. It made sense. Jeff had invested a lot of time in making sure that Jared was well cared for, and much of it had been because of instinct alone.

"It _felt_ kind of remarkable," Jensen offered. He really had to learn to be nicer to Jeff. Without him, he would never have even met Jared. That was kind of a frightening thought.

Jared rested back closer to Jensen. "I'm trying not to read his thoughts but he didn't say I couldn't do it this way."

Laughing, Jensen buried his face in Jared's hair. The happiness that was washing over him was hard to ignore.

"Okay, boys. Feeling a bit out of the loop here." For once it was Jeff who looked a little uncomfortable.

"Sorry, Jeff," Jared said. The apology sounded very genuine.

“It's okay, Jared. Don't apologize." Jeff took a drink of coffee then wrapped his hands around the mug as though warming them.

"Everything's going to be okay, I think, Jeff." Jared said. "I will keep my promise to go and continue seeing Misha. Jim says we can always meet up at the main building."

"I'm glad," Jeff said. "It may have seemed like Misha wasn't very supportive when it came to you and Jensen but he _does_ mean well. He has your best interests at heart."

Aware of the fact that he probably shouldn't say what he _really_ thought about Misha, Jensen nosed into Jared's hair.

"Jensen?" said Jeff.

"Hmm?" He peered out from behind Jared's shoulder.

"If he sees you two together, he's going to get it. No one could sit with you boys for any length of time without realizing how much you care for each other. He _will_ see it." There was a smile on Jeff's face that made his words pretty believable.

Jared shifted a little, getting more comfortable. "Jeff? Did anyone come looking for me? That stasis crew?"

Jeff shook his head. “Misha cancelled the intake and it reached them in time. We just had some agreements to sign. There may be a meeting later on to confirm what happened. Misha and I will work together on that.”

"That won't create problems for the two of you, will it?" Jensen asked.

"I don't think so." Jeff didn't look particularly worried.

"Good." Jensen meant it.

"You won't mind if I stay in touch, will you?" Jeff had some more coffee.

"Of course not," Jared said quickly. "You're important."

It seemed an odd choice of phrasing to Jensen but he doubted that it was anything out of the ordinary.

"More coffee, Jeff?" Jensen asked when the silence went on a little too long to continue feeling comfortable.

"No, thanks. I told Jim I would go back into town with him for lunch." After a few moments of studying Jared's face, Jeff rose.

Twisting out of Jensen's embrace, Jared stood quickly. He smiled then launched forward to give Jeff a hug.

It may have been a nervous response but Jeff laughed softly. His hands hovered over Jared's body for a few moments as though he didn't know where to put them. Then Jeff returned the embrace and Jensen felt warmth from Jared again.

Jensen couldn't help but be amused by the little shot of jealousy he felt. Jared had been clear that he wanted to be with Jensen. He found himself wondering when he'd become such a possessive person.

When he emerged from his thoughts, Jared was walking Jeff back to the door. He was chatting away about the shower. That brought a smile back to Jensen's face. He was actually a little glad that they knew Jeff.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

By the end of Jared's second week at the cottage, he had settled in as though it had always been his home.

There had been a few strange ups and downs. For instance, Jared's first meeting with Misha had been stressful for everyone. Misha had laid all his cards on the table pretty quickly and let them know he wasn't pleased that Jensen was in the room. Jensen hadn't resisted leaving but Jared had nearly walked. They'd had a short break and Jensen had managed to talk Jared into staying. The appointments _seemed_ to be going okay. Jensen didn't ask for details and Jared didn't offer them.

Some of the conversations that they had with other NewGens they ran into on the grounds were a bit _interesting_. There were some subtleties of interpersonal communication that Jared hadn't quite mastered. He'd taken it upon himself to announce to a female friend of Jensen's that she was unlikely to end up in bed with Jensen because she wasn't a man. During a small barbeque organized by one of the counsellors at the Center, Jared had pointed out far louder than he'd intended that one of the NewGens present had violated some of the rules. 

It was going to take a long time for Jensen to teach Jared about the finer points of being subtle and forgiving. Oddly enough, Jared seemed to feel the world was very black and white. Jensen couldn't put his finger on where that had come from.

The first time Jared had gone missing had been the most terrifying half an hour of Jensen's life. The rational part of his mind was well aware that no one could leave the Center without logging out at the front gate, but knowing that hadn't helped him to relax. When he'd found Jared about a mile from the cottage, wandering aimlessly through the grounds Jensen had been angry. Their first _argument_ had lasted about 30 seconds. Jensen had snapped, Jared had said he knew that Jensen didn't mean it and walked straight over to plant a kiss on him that nearly stopped his heart.

Jensen got used to the fact that, when Jared disappeared he could generally be found outside. After the first couple of times he lost Jared, it worried him less and less. After all, the grounds were secure and Jared was unlikely to run into anyone he didn't know.

The only person Jared had really gotten to know was Kim and Jensen had known that would happen. How could a landscaper stand a chance of avoiding Jared and his obsession with anything that grew?

The first time Jared had seen Kim she had been sitting cross-legged in the middle of one of the larger flower beds by the cottage. It was one of the most fragrant on the grounds and she'd put it just upwind of the boys' cottage. When Jared had come _home_ later that afternoon he had told Jensen, at length, about his talk with Kim. They'd discussed flowers, soil, life, philosophy, language, Jensen's physique and beans. Jensen had wanted to know what the _physique_ conversation was about but, for the first time ever, Jensen was tight-lipped. It was annoying but Jared made amends by demonstrating _quite_ wetly, which parts of Jensen's physique were his favorites.

And so things progressed at a snail's pace. But, Jensen was happy and he could _feel_ that Jared was as well. 

It was a Friday and Jensen was looking forward to a weekend of no work and no visits to the main building for appointments with Misha.

Jensen had just made himself a coffee and wandered out onto their front porch. After Jared had been with him for a few days, Jensen had ordered a couple of chairs for outside. It seemed strange that he'd never thought to do that when he lived there alone. 

Many things had changed since Jared had arrived in his life.

The chair creaked when Jensen sat down. It was a cool afternoon but the sun was doing it's best to heat things up. The sound of voices was carried across the grass by the wind and Jensen looked around lazily.

Jared and Kim were working in the closest flower bed. Jensen watched them for a while. It looked like Jared was telling a story. He had put his tools down and was gesturing wildly with his hands. After a little while, Kim threw her head back and laughed.

Jensen's heart felt like it swelled a little. Even from where he was sitting he could see Jared's bright smile. The laughter merged in the afternoon air, swelling and fading with the wind.

The cottage felt _so_ much more like a home with Jared there.

"Hi, Jensen."

Misha's voice startled Jensen and he he almost spilled his coffee. "Misha. What a pleasant surprise."

Misha laughed softly and shook his head. "You don't lie very well, Jensen."

It was, quite possibly, the most accurate thing Misha had ever said to him. Jensen had opted to spend most of his life just being blunt and honest when he'd realized he was destined to always get caught out in a lie. That didn't mean that he hadn't learned how to get away with things; he just tended to do it without lying.

"Jared left his tablet at Jim's office. I thought he might want it for the weekend." Misha set the tablet down on the table beside Jensen's chair.

Sighing, Jensen looked up at Misha. "Want to sit for a while? Jared's just over in the flower bed with Kim." He gestured towards the voices he could still hear.

“I'd like that, I wanted to speak to you anyway." Misha stepped over Jensen's feet so he could sit in Jared's chair.

The idea that Misha needed to discuss something with him was unappealing. But it was probably something he needed to know about Jared's sessions.

"Everything okay?" Jensen asked.

Misha nodded. "Jared's progressing well, if that's what you're asking me."

"That's good. He's happy here, you know," Jensen offered. He felt a little bad sometimes about disliking Misha. He'd probably dislike anyone in the man's position. It wasn't personal.

"He is," Misha said. "You've been good to him."

"Good to him? He's not a puppy I adopted or some charity case. I - I really care about him."

Misha laughed again. It was quiet and unassuming. "He and I _both_ know that."

Turning to face Jensen, Misha reached out to set his hand on Jensen's shoulder. "Can we stop?"

It was difficult for Jensen to resist the urge to shrug off Misha's hand. "Stop what?"

"The sharp comments? The way we can't sit together for more than thirty seconds without hostility? We both want the same thing, Jensen."

"And _what_ is that, Misha?"

MIsha withdrew his hand and looked over at Jared and Kim. "I want Jared to be happy. I want him to be well - both mentally and physically."

In his heart, Jensen had always known that Misha had Jensen's best interests in mind. Misha's opinion of Jared and Jensen's relationship was the problem.

Finally, Jensen nodded. "He's a very special man."

Misha nodded. " _Very_. I have a feeling there are a lot of things we still don't know about Jared. I get the distinct impression that he's not telling me everything."

It was all Jensen could do to keep from smiling. If Misha only knew. Actually, it was _much_ better that he didn't know.

Jensen set his coffee mug down and looked over at Misha. "What's going on, Misha?"

The blond counsellor was still watching Jared. "I had an interesting session with Jared this morning."

"Oh?" Almost immediately, Jensen's stomach knotted up.

"First of all, Jared's long since given me his permission to discuss our sessions with you," Misha said.

Jensen smiled. "That doesn't surprise me. He doesn't keep much secret." The secrets Jared _did_ have, Jensen already knew. At least, he thought he did.

"Jared spoke about you a lot today." Misha crossed his legs and clasped his hands around his knee. "He says that you love him but that you haven't told him yet. He told me that you think it's too early for you to feel that way and that's why you haven't told him."

It was a little like being stripped bare in front of a crowded room. Jensen felt bile crawl up his throat and he closed his eyes for a few moments. "Misha-"

"Look, I'm not trying to humiliate you or make a point. I just wanted to tell you that I was wrong about you. I was wrong about you and Jared and the way you are with each other."

That was the very last thing Jensen expected to hear. He wasn't quite sure how to respond now that he'd heard it. "Misha-"

"You don't need to come up with an answer," Misha said. "It just seemed like you should know. Jared … his feelings for you are very strong. Anyone would be lucky to be on the receiving end of that man's affection. He has a remarkable way about him."

Frowning, Jensen studied Misha's face. "What do you mean?"

MIsha tilted his head slightly as though searching for the right words. "He has absolutely no doubts about you, Jensen. You're the person he wants to be with. Even when we discussed the possibility of him seeing other people he - "

"You talked to him about seeing other people?" Anger and jealousy reared up and Jensen had to turn away from the counsellor.

"Jensen, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down. Who the _hell_ do you think you are, Misha? You have _no_ right to suggest something like that." Jensen might have thought Misha disliked him but this seemed pretty extreme.

"Just _listen_ , Jensen. God, I'm trying to tell you that he just flat out refused. He said that he knows you and he belong together even though you haven't let things progress physically beyond a certain point.”

Fuming, Jensen turned back to Misha. He was too angry to even be any more embarrassed about the intimate details of his life being public knowledge. He was glad Jared had told Misha to shove it, but that didn't mean it was okay for Misha to have interfered the way he had.

"Jensen, I'm sorry if I've misjudged you. That's really all I was trying to say. I probably should have limited myself to saying that. I'd better be going."

Jensen nodded and thought it best if he didn't say anything.

Misha stood there awkwardly for a while then headed down the steps to walk across to the flower bed.

Still seething, Jensen watched the counsellor like a hawk. Misha stopped when he got to Jared. They spoke for a few minutes. Jared stood just inside the circle of flowers; he nodded then rubbed the back of his neck. There was a gentle smile on his face as he said something to Misha then returned to Kim's side.

Before he began his long walk back to the main building, Misha turned and waved to Jensen. Jensen simply nodded. He was just glad to see Misha leaving. He kind of hoped that he didn't see the counsellor for a while. Misha hadn't told him anything he didn't already know; he'd just made Jensen feel shitty about it.

Seeing other people? How the hell did that even come up in a counselling session. Misha was supposed to be assisting Jared with his adjustment to his telepathy, and being awake after years of being trapped in a dream. He _wasn't_ supposed to be some kind of dating coach.

Jensen was so caught up in his fuming that he didn't even notice Jared's presence until he was standing _right_ in front of him.

Jared held out a huge bunch of flowers and grinned down at Jensen. "I picked flowers for you. You're angry with Misha."

The scent of the blooms was beautiful. Jensen took the bouquet and sniffed the flowers. "Misha was telling me about his suggestion that you see people...other than me."

"He did suggest that," Jared said. He shrugged then sat down on the arm of Jensen's chair. Leaning back, Jared slid his arm around Jensen's shoulders.

"That's all you've got to say? He did?" Not one iota of Jensen's foul mood had anything to do with Jared and he felt like a jerk for being bitchy.

Jared's fingers were smoothing over Jensen's hair. "A lot of what he suggests means absolutely nothing to me. He has some good ideas on occasion; that just wasn't one of them."

Trying to calm himself a little, Jensen took a couple of deep breaths and focused on the heady scent of the flowers he was clutching. If he was _perfectly_ honest with himself, even he had thought about Jared seeing other people. The man had spent most of his life trapped in a crazy dream world fighting for his life. Jensen had wondered if he was holding Jared back from experiencing other things.

"You're thinking too much," said Jared. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Jensen shook his head quickly. The last thing he wanted to do was talk about it.

"You know that I don't want anyone else."

"Right now you don't," Jensen couldn't help saying. There was still a part of him that wondered what would happen when Jared started leaving the center and meeting new people. Jared's world was still pretty small, all things considered and it was about to get a _lot_ bigger.

"Jensen?" Fingers slid into Jensen's hair and cupped the back of his head. "Jensen."

"Yeah?" Sighing, Jensen let his head rest against Jared's hand and looked up at him.

"I don't want anyone else and I never will. I _know_ it. You might not believe it but that's the way it is for me. I know you hold back-"

"I do not," Jensen protested. His peaceful Friday evening was turning out to be anything but.

"You do. You still think it's too soon for us to feel the things we do. It's why you don't tell me that you love me."

Jensen's eyes widened and he leaned forward slowly to set the flowers down. It was one thing to hear it from Misha but the same words coming from Jared's mouth felt more intense. "You said you wouldn't read my thoughts."

"I haven't!" Jared protested "But I can't block out your feelings. It's all around me, sometimes when we're together. It's warm and it's beautiful and it's one of the best things I've ever felt." Jared had run out of breath by the time he'd finished his explanation.

"Yeah? It feels like all that?" As usual, Jared's words and the soothing tone of his voice drowned the angry fire in Jensen's chest.

"Let me?" Wide-eyed, Jared slid down off the arm of the chair to kneel at Jensen's feet. He pushed forward until Jensen had no choice but to part his legs and pull Jared closer.

 _Let me._ Less than a month together and whenever Jared could he did as Jensen had asked and contained as much as he could. _Let me_ was always how Jared voiced his simple request to let go and let Jensen feel what he felt.

Smiling down at Jared's up-turned face, Jensen nodded and brushed the hair back off Jared's face. "Of course."

And then the world went out-of-focus and Jensen felt a bit like everything had tipped sideways and the only thing holding him there was Jared.

Jensen was surrounded by heat and he could feel Jared _everywhere_. The scent of Jared, sun-warmed hair and fresh air, hung heavily in the air. The heartbeat, so steady in Jared's chest, settled into the same rhythm as Jensen's.

There was so much _joy_ from Jared that it was almost _too_ much. Tears burned hot in Jensen's eyes. He could feel Jared's absolute certainty, his unwavering knowledge that he _loved_ Jensen. He knew he loved him the way he knew the sun would come up in the morning, that each breath out would be followed by a breath in.

It was beautiful and Jensen could feel emotion welling inside him as Jared withdrew. Once he was left alone with his own feelings it was strangely solitary in his own body.

Jensen wiped at the tear that was trailing down his cheek and felt his bottom lip quivering when he smiled at Jared. There was a lump in his throat and a strange longing in his chest. "That was - that …"

When Jensen couldn't seem to find the right words, Jared just nodded and smiled.

The ironic thing was that he needn't struggle at all to let Jared know how it felt. For Jared, the world was a place where words just weren't expressive enough.

The scent of the flowers wafted up from the table on the warm wind and Jensen smiled. "It's been a long time since anyone gave me flowers."

"I know," Jared said softly. He was kissing the curve of Jensen's thumb and doing a very good job of making Jensen's blood race.

"You smell like the flower bed," Jensen teased.

"I do, and you smell like the sun and coffee." He pushed up and balanced on a knee between Jensen's legs so he could breathe in as he slid up his body. "Definitely coffee."

"Is that so?" Jensen's lips quirked into a half smile and he turned to stare into the hazel eyes he'd become so familiar with.

Nodding, Jared leaned in to slide a kiss over Jensen's mouth. His tongue moved forward, traced the seam of Jensen's lips then pushed past them.

A quiet gasp accompanied the glide of Jared's tongue and his fingers wandered down Jensen's throat to trace the neckline of his t-shirt.

The way Jared kissed made Jensen lose track of the world. He barely managed to get his palm to the sweat-damp skin at the small of Jared's back before his focus was peeled away. The wet brush of Jared's tongue swept away the last of Jensen's frustration. He slid his hand lower, under the waistband of Jared's jeans, his fingers splayed over smooth, hot, flesh.

Jared groaned and his arm snaked around Jensen's neck. He never seemed to be able to get close enough and Jensen liked the way that felt.

When his lungs ached for a breath, Jensen broke back from the kiss. "You need to shower before dinner. And I have something special in the oven staying warm."

There was a bleary distance in Jared's eyes and his skin was flushed. Jensen _knew_ the look. Beautiful as it was, he'd always resisted being drawn into it completely, letting go and just riding the wave of pleasure to its ultimate conclusion. 

Finally, Jared nodded. "I already know it's pizza."

Jensen gasped in mock horror and Jared had the decency to try and look apologetic.

"I wasn't trying to read you; your thoughts were just _there_ and the kiss…" The mischievous grin on Jared's face broadened and he shrugged and put on an innocent expression.

Laughter had built in Jensen's chest and he let it out as he shoved at Jared's chest. "Get out of here and go shower."

The shove nearly knocked Jared off balance but he joined in the laughter. There was such a joy about him that it was contagious.

"Showers are more fun with you in them," Jared said wistfully.

"Yeah - and they take _way_ longer." chuckling, Jensen stood and kissed the corner of Jared's smile. "Get. I'm hungry."

"Pizza," Jared growled as he darted in through the front door. It had hardly banged shut before Jared was bursting through it again.

"Jesus!" Jensen busted out laughing, mostly at Jared but partly because he was so startled.

"Goodbye, Kim!" Jared yelled out to his friend. "I have to shower and eat pizza!"

It was probably a good thing they didn't live in the city.

Kim waved and stood, brushing dirt off her jeans. The door banged shut again and Jensen shook his head.

He was happier than he'd ever been in spite of some of the things they may have to deal with in the future. He kind of wished that their world could remain small - the cottage, the lake and each other.

When he glanced over the railing, he saw Kim headed his way. Stretching, Jensen jogged down the front steps and walked over to meet his friend.

"Hi, Kim. Survived another day in the vegetation with Jared, I see."

Kim's smile was bright and she grabbed Jensen in a tight hug. "He's pretty terrible. Spending time with that man of yours. Wish he was happier."

She stepped back and folder her arms as she surveyed her work. 

Chuckling, Jensen stood beside his friend and looked out over the grounds. He loved the work that Kim did; she was the one who made the grounds a place to investigate and love rather than just huge and fenced in. It was due to Kim's artistry that Jared would be lost for hours, sometimes, wandering through flower beds and small copses of trees.

"I had an interesting discussion with Jared today," Kim said hesitantly. 

Jensen wasn't sure he was prepared for any more news. So far, the evening had been a bit of a roller coaster ride. "Yeah?"

"That flower bed there is one of his favorites. Did you know that?" Kim smiled and rubbed some dirt of her forearm.

"Yeah. He likes the smell of that one - says he can smell it on the wind at night." Keeping his eyes on the flower bed off in the distance, Jensen smiled. Because of Jared, he noticed things that he'd never noticed before. 

"I had trouble with that soil when I first started. The acidity was off. It's no problem to use the balancer to fix it up - but I was curious, you know? It's the kind of thing that I like to figure out so that I can make sure it doesn't happen again." Kim took a deep breath and glanced at Jensen out of the corner of her eye.

"And?" Jensen could tell something was up. He'd known Kim long enough to know when she had something she wanted to tell him.

Kim looked up at Jensen; her dark eyes were serious. "He told me this strange story. A long time ago before the city extended out this far this was a natural ecosystem. Did you know that?"

Shrugging, Jensen shook his head. He wasn't sure where Kim was heading with the conversation. 

"Didn't think you did. Anyway, Jared was telling me what this place was like, once upon a time. Before there was any development at all the area was largely forested. By the lake here was an unusual copse of Saltcedar Trees. You ever seen one?"

"No, never even heard of one, to be honest. But then, trees are more Jared's thing." There was a slight possibility that Kim was going to suggest that Jared be sent to some kind of agricultural school or something. Jensen wasn't sure what the big deal was.

"I've never seen one. They've been wiped out in this area. People removed them as soon as they were found back in the _old days_. They're called Saltcedar because their peculiar growth mechanism actually salts the soil. When they've been in an area long enough, nothing else can grow at all."

"Look, Kim - I'm not sure where you're going with this. I mean, I'm glad that Jared was able to help you solve your mystery, but-" 

"The thing is, there's no way to know what was planted here a hundred years ago, Jensen. No way at all. There's nothing documented on this area. Not a wordl. I've been working on this problem for a couple of years; I've been to every Library and research station, all the archives. There was no documentation." Kim settled her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows. "Just thought you ought to know."

At first, Jensen couldn't really figure out what message he was missing. After all, he knew that Jared had a bit of an obsession with anything that grew. It wasn't surprising that he would know about some kind of bizarre rare tree that used to grow in the area. He must have… "Kim? Are you saying that there's no way he could have known that?"

"Well," Kim said softly. "There's _one_ way. Thought you might want a head's up. I know there's more to your boy than meets the eye, figured you would want to talk to him about how to keep that knowledge a bit quieter." 

Jensen remembered back to his training at the center. _Recogs_ were the ones at the Center who were always undervalued. It was an odd switch talent. Being able to _know_ what happened in a place in the past, being psychic about past events wasn't really something that most people thought was particularly helpful.

Swallowing down the anxiety that was threatening, Jensen turned to Kim and snatched her into a hug. He'd never been more glad that Kim was the person that she was. If Jared had made the mistake of telling someone else at the Center about … _God_.

Jensen was silent for a while, chin resting on Kim's shoulder he stared over at the flower bed. Sometimes, it felt a little like there was someone watching over them. Maybe that was Jared's payment for all those years he'd been terrified and alone.

"Thanks, Kim." There was no need for Jensen to say more. They both knew what it meant for Jared if anyone found out just how unique he was. 

"You just take care of him; you need each other," Kim murmured. 

Nodding, Jensen held on a little longer then took hold of Kim's shoulders and held her back. "I will."

"See you soon, Jensen. Probably not before I see that crazy man of yours." She rolled her eyes and headed down the gravel path. "Have a good weekend," she called out over her shoulder.

The wind was blowing gently, sending waves across the grass. “Have a nice weekend.”

Another skill that Jared was gifted with meant the man was unofficially the first NewGen with the three switch skills. In a period of time they could still easily count in days, Jared had gone from being trapped and on the verge of a life in stasis to the most complex NewGen alive.

Ultimately, it was hard for Jensen to think of Jared as any other NewGen. The unique skills he possessed were invisibly woven into his personality. There would never be a way to separate those skills from the quirks of Jared's personality.

The only thing Jensen had to do was keep Jared safe and he was willing to do everything he could to see that happen.

Turning slowly, Jensen took a last look around and then headed back to the cottage. He'd been looking forward to the weekend. Two days of uninterrupted time together. Jared was already acutely aware that he was supposed to be careful what he revealed around other people.

Another conversation about it all could wait until Monday.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

The pizza Jensen had brought in was from Pacific Pizza. When Jensen had arrived at the Center he'd really struggled; Jim had taken him out for pizza one night. Jensen's young brain had figured that a place that had pizza that good couldn't be all bad. 

He had to call in a lot of favors to get the pizza brought to the Center, but Jared was worth it. More than he liked being the one to introduce new things to Jared, Jensen liked that he was the man who got to witness the expressions on Jared's face.

Someone at the Center had mentioned Pacific Pizza to Jared and he'd asked for it immediately. He'd said that melted cheese and meat on a crust sounded like the perfect food. He thought he remembered it from when he was a child. But then, he didn't remember pepperoni.

Pacific Pizza was the best in the city. If Jensen ever saw confirmation of that it was in the expression of absolute _bliss_ on Jared's face when he'd taken his first bite.

Pizza definitely went into the plus column.

After dinner, they listened to music for a while. Jared never seemed to tire of music. It didn't matter to him what genre Jensen chose, Jared liked it. He would sway back and forth in the front window, watching the lake disappear into the evening light. 

The evening had been relaxing and low-key; just what Jensen thought they had needed. He'd read for a couple of hours and for the entire time Jared sat at Jensen's feet with a sketch pad. He'd begun drawing the flowers that he saw, food that he loved, the occasional person. There were often sketches of Jensen, sometimes Kim. When Jensen had leaned over to check Jared's progress he saw a half-finished portrait of himself hugging Kim. It was kind of amazing. But then most things about Jared were amazing.

It was late when they decided to head to bed. The sky was blue-black and filled with stars. With the bed still in the window and the curtains thrown open, they could lie on their backs and watch their own private planetarium show.

By the time Jensen had washed up, Jared was sitting on the end of the bed. 

His skin was darker than when Jensen had first met him. A few days in the gardens hiking and working with Kim and Jared's cheeks looked sun-kissed. He looked healthy and happy.

As Jensen stared, Jared yanked his t-shirt off and reached back over his shoulder to scratch the back of his neck. 

Jensen loved the way Jared's muscles were already starting to tone up. They moved gracefully under all that flesh.

Jensen was a very _lucky_ man.

"Hey," Jared said when he saw Jensen. "You tired?"

"Not too bad. Why?"

It really wasn't that difficult to figure out what Jared wanted. When it came to touching, and anything else he could get away with, Jared was very persistent. So far, Jensen had managed to draw the line. He wasn't even sure why he kept to his original plan. Watching Jared's newly toned pecs twitch really made Jensen wonder why he was trying to keep things between them progressing at a snail's pace.

"Thanks for not being angry with me." Clad only in his jeans, Jared sauntered over to Jensen.

"Angry?" Jensen was far too busy being distracted by Jared's body to follow the man's train of thought.

"I know what Kim told you." Somehow, Jared managed to look a little guilty and completely hot at the same time.

"We'll figure it all out," Jensen said. He was determined to stick to his plan and not worry about it until Monday.

Jared nodded and when he reached Jensen he hooked his fingers over the waistband of Jensen's pants. He tugged slightly. "I'm not tired."

Jensen grinned and stepped in to Jared's body. The heat radiating off the man was surprising. His body never seemed to cool down. He was sure Jared would want to keep the windows open all winter.

"What are you thinking about?" Jared draped his arms over Jensen's shoulders.

"See for yourself."

As soon as the words were out of Jensen's mouth, Jared's eyes brightened.

It was a strange tickle at first accompanied by a little pressure in Jensen's head. Then he could feel Jared inside his mind. When Jared knew he was invited he didn't bother trying to be subtle.

The heat from Jared's body intensified. It burned Jensen inside and out. His lashes fluttered and he closed his eyes to focus more clearly on the thoughts that had been teasing him all evening.

Jared's body spread out on the bed in the moonlight, sweat-damp hair, eyes squeezed shut … soft moans. It was intoxicating to even think about it.

When Jensen opened his eyes, Jared was staring into them with _want_ written all over his face. No matter how slow Jensen had tried to take things, Jared had always seemed to know exactly what he wanted.

There wasn't much need for anymore speaking. Jared walked backwards, pulling Jensen with him. There was a very slight smile on Jared's face and sweat was already glistening on his forehead.

"Night light," Jared murmured just loud enough. Most of the lights in the room were extinguished but a small wall sconce stayed lit.

The effect was quite dazzling. Moonlight brushed over the pale streaks in Jared's hair. The shadow cast by the small light more clearly defined the slight muscles in Jared's arms and his broad chest.

As soon as Jared's calves hit the bed he sat down. He reached up, sliding his fingers under Jensen's t-shirt. Jared didn't rush. He pushed the t-shirt up slowly, savoring the feel of Jensen's skin.

Jensen couldn't resist slipping his fingers into Jared's hair. He loved the fact that Jared kept it long. It softened his features a little and Jensen loved being able to grab a fistfull of hair and hold Jared still -or- better yet, move him where he wanted him.

That's exactly what he did the moment he was free of his shirt. He grabbed a fistful of Jared's hair and guided his soft mouth to the sensitive skin just above his hip bone.

Jared's tongue lapped at Jensen's flesh then he sucked on it, he teased and kissed, urging the blood firing through Jensen's body to leave a mark on the surface.

Looking quite pleased with himself, Jared tilted his head back to blink up at Jensen.

"Jared," Jensen murmured. His hand slid down to cup Jared's cheek then he moved quickly.

Jensen's fingers felt clumsy as he fumbled with his belt and then shoved his pants down.

His eyes widened when Jared flopped back on the bed to wriggle and twist out of his jeans. His thumbs hooked over his boxer-briefs as soon as they were visible and he pushed them down.

Jared's cock was already full and lay against his belly twitching. It was _quite_ the image.

Jensen had just enough time to take it all in before he was straddling Jared's slender, naked hips and sliding both his palms up the man's torso. He loved the feel of Jared's body; the narrow hips, broad chest and solid shoulders. He let his hips rock gently, teasing a beautiful moan from Jared. _God_ , Jensen loved that sound.

Jared pushed his shoulders down _hard_ into the mattress. His body curved up off the bed, desperately craving more of Jensen's touch.

Falling forward, Jensen caught himself, hands just above Jared's shoulders. He rolled his body down as he held himself up.

"Jared, I want you."

"I know," whispered Jared. His hands slid over Jensen's hips, nails digging into flesh as he stretched up to press his lips to Jensen's.

The touch was like an ignition switch and Jensen let his arms relax as he lowered himself onto the firm body stretched out beneath him.

Jared let out a low moan and shifted slightly so their cocks slid side by side. The hot, hard flesh touched from base to head and Jensen ravaged Jared's mouth. He didn't know what else to do with all the heat that swelled up inside him.

It was wet, blazing hot and Jensen used his teeth to tug on Jared's bottom lip. When Jared hissed in pain, Jensen let his tongue glide back and forth over Jared's lip.

Each kiss, each slide of wet, hot lips seemed to urge Jared on. His entire body would push up into Jensen's. His nails scraped over Jensen's back again and again. It was a little painful and sent such a mess of emotion and sensation through Jensen's body that he felt like he was drowning.

But he didn't care at all.

Groaning, Jensen reared back from Jared's body and pushed Jared's legs further apart with his knee.

Bracing himself, Jensen brought his leg up higher. The hot softness of Jared's balls was crushed against Jensen's thigh. It looked like Jared was trying to move _into_ and _away_ from the rough touch at the same time.

They wrestled a little, Jared desperately wanting more and Jensen trying to hold onto what little control he still had of the situation.

Soon, Jensen just couldn't take anymore. He growled as he lifted Jared further up the bed.

They couldn't stop kissing each other. No matter who was touching who, no matter how hard, or how painful it was. Jensen slid off Jared's body and pressed tight to the man's side.

He explored more of Jared's body as their tongues twisted around each other. Jensen trailed a finger along that sweet cut of Jared's hip, and when Jared let out a barely restrained moan, Jensen cupped his balls and squeezed until Jared whined softly.

"Jensen," Jared's hands gripped Jensen's wrist and held him there.

"You like that?"

No answer was necessary because Jensen was nearly knocked backwards by an intense and heavy blanket of desire and sexual tension. It was intense enough to take Jensen's breath away.

Jared urged Jensen's hand further back. The tips of Jensen's fingers bumped over Jared's clenched ring of muscle.

 _God_. Heat flooded into Jensen's veins. He was panting, body damp with sweat.

Jared didn't seem to be able to stay still. He twisted on the bed like a fever was burning out inside him.

Jensen's index finger pressed against Jared's furled hole. He was surprised to feel the slickness of lube. A kind of pleased guilt slammed into Jensen and he smiled slightly. No matter how much control he thought he had, Jared always seemed to be a step ahead of him. _Not_ that he objected.

Rolling forward, Jensen aimed his mouth for Jared's and they collided roughly. At the same time he sent his finger into the tight molten heat of Jared's hole.

The abused ring of muscle clenched tight around Jensen's finger as he pushed forward slowly.

Jared moaned loudly. His back arched and he seemed to draw in more of Jensen's finger.

It was _far_ hotter than Jensen had imagined. And, if he were to be honest, he'd imagined it a whole lot since Jared had come to him. The want he felt for the man was a constant ache in Jensen's chest and a pounding throb in his cock.

Both men were trembling as their bodies rolled together. Their mouths were nearly always touching, biting and sucking then they were apart and Jensen's now-slick finger was able to slide deeper into Jared's body.

Now that all the restraints were gone, Jensen couldn't get close enough, fast enough.

His finger was sunk deep in Jared's ass and he pressed a second against the stretched rim.

Jared bit down so hard on his bottom lip that specks of blood appeared.

All the _want_ and _desire_ was rolling off Jared's body. Jensen was pummelled by emotion and sensation to the point where he couldn't even think straight.

Jensen growled and yanked his finger free. Jared protested but the whine was cut short when Jensen grabbed his shoulder and rolled him onto his side.

His body fit perfectly along the curves and recesses of Jared's body. Jensen's cock was stiff and aching in the furrow of Jared's ass. 

All the sounds Jared was making were unintelligible. But, _God_ , there was no respite from the pummeling of thoughts and urges all wrapped up in feelings that battered Jensen constantly.   
It had become impossible for Jensen to separate his own feelings from Jared's. The sensations were all muddled and so intense that Jensen wasn't sure how the two of them were still managing to breathe.

Impatient, Jensen reached between their hot bodies and grabbed his cock. He guided himself forward until the sensitive head was pushing for entry to Jared's heat.

Jared's entire body jerked at the initial touch and he began trembling violently.

The sensations that were washing over Jensen were still urging him on, trying to draw him in physically _and_ mentally.

Closing his eyes, Jensen rocked his hips forward in short thrusts. He eased into Jared's heat - only _just_ able to keep from snapping his hips forward.

One hand tangled in Jared's hair, Jensen nipped at the nape of Jared's neck. He kissed the pain away after each small bite and then slid his hips forward.

The heated clench of Jared's ass around his cock was crazy-good. Jensen tugged on Jared's hair until the man had no choice but to arch his long neck until Jensen was panting against his ear.

Jensen sighed his lover's name over and over like a mantra as he urged his cock forward.

Finally, Jensen just couldn't take it. His grip in Jared's hair tightened as his hips snapped forward.

Jared's body jerked, he cried out but Jensen's balls were already flush against the smooth heat of Jared's ass. 

All the blood in Jensen's body felt like it had turned into molten lead. His body felt heavy, weighted down and he clung to Jared as both their bodies adjusted.

Straining to reach Jensen's mouth, Jared moaned loudly. When their lips were finally crushed together, Jensen could feel the relief that was rippling through Jared's body.

But the tight heat clenched around Jensen's cock was _killing_ him. He pulled his hips back slowly and slid almost completely free of Jared's body.

"No," Jared murmured softly. _Loss_ radiated out from him and Jensen buried his face in Jared's sweat damp hair.

"Jared," He said. His throat ached, his voice was a low rumble in his chest. "I love you."

The world kind of spun around them at an insane speed. Jensen's chest heaved as he tried to suck in as much air as he could. All the intensity of the desire was there but now there was an underlying joy seeping out from Jared's mind.

Jensen's body was in motion before he was conscious of it.

He thrust his hard flesh forward, deep into Jared's body. His lips worked the salty skin on Jared's neck. He reached his arm over Jared's hip to grasp his cock.

Jared's hips snapped forward then pressed back quickly. He was torn between the pleasure of sliding his cock across Jensen's rough palm and clenching his muscles _tight_ around Jensen's arousal.

Finally, they found an even rhythm. Their bodies moved together in perfect synchronicity and Jensen had ever felt anything like it.

All he could do was grind his hips against Jared's ass again and again. He stroked Jared's cock, sweeping up precome with his thumb and sliding it down Jared's flesh.

Jared was always in motion. His hands reached for any part of Jensen's body he could find. His hips matched the pounding of Jensen's and every so often he would cry out or moan.

The first hint of release was ghosting down Jensen's spine. He stroked Jared's cock a little faster, hips rocking forward slowly. It was _more_ than Jensen could even process.

Then Jared's hand slapped down _hard_ against the mattress and his spine arched almost painfully. He let out a long, shuddering breath and his hips jolted for an instant before hot come was spilling over Jensen's fingers.

Jensen gasped against Jared's ear as he pounded against Jared's ass over and over. And then a blinding heat sliced through him as he came. It was so intense that the breath was knocked out of Jensen's lungs and Jared writhed against him once more.

Bodies locked together, they rode wave after wave of pleasure. The release grabbed hold of Jensen's spine and crushed until his vision went white and he just collapsed against Jared's back.

Jensen had no idea how long he was out or if he even was. He just slowly became aware of the gentle press of Jared's thoughts.

His body twitched as the final echoes of their pleasure spiralled through him. When he could move, Jensen nuzzled against Jared's neck. His lips felt raw, his throat ached and he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Jared's ear before whispering, "You okay?"

"Okay?" Jared sounded amused and laughed softly. He groaned immediately at some kind of ache in his body.

Jensen laughed as well, then coughed and cinched his arm tight around Jared's chest. "That was-"

"Better than pizza," Jared said so seriously that Jensen laughed again.

Jared thumped his fist into Jensen's thigh and they tussled with each other for a few minutes. It didn't take long for exhaustion to catch up with them again. Jared collapsed across Jensen's chest and tried to catch his breath.

Jensen smoothed his hand over Jared's hair and smiled. Exhausted as he was, he didn't want to close his eyes because he didn't want the night to be over.

"I don't either," Jared said against Jensen's chest. He turned his head and rested his cheek against Jensen's sticky skin. "Sorry."

It seemed pointless to worry about Jared reading his mind but it was cute that Jared remembered. He could feel Jared's presence in his mind and he liked it.

Jared nestled closer, fingers threading through Jensen's. His lashes fluttered then settled against his cheeks.

It was peaceful and safe and every other good feeling that Jensen had ever had.

For a fleeting moment, Jensen found himself worrying about what might happen if Jared's secret ever got out. It was far too late for Jensen to lose Jared. He just wouldn't make it.

Almost as though Jensen's thoughts had reached Jared, he shifted restlessly against Jensen's body, fingers gripping Jensen's hand tightly.

Sighing, Jensen shook off his worries. His free hand smoothed over Jared's hair again and he smiled. Jared was his and no one could take him away. Not ever.

Finally, Jensen closed his eyes and let sleep take him under.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**

Jensen's dream was bright. The sun was high above him and the grass around his feet was long. It smelled like new growth; like spring. He closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh air.

He hadn't had his own dream in a very long time. But then, he hadn't skimmed a dream since he'd gone under to find Jared. Maybe his mind was just letting him know that he was recovering; perhaps soon he'd be able to work again.

Opening his eyes, Jensen smiled and looked around. There was a path heading off into the trees that had appeared beside Jensen. He laughed and headed off . It seemed a little cliche but Jensen wasn't going to waste a good dream; he didn't get to have his own very often.

"Hey! Wait up!"

Turning slowly, Jensen stared as Jared jogged up the path. "What. What in the-"

"I found you," Jared exclaimed happily. When he was close enough he threw his arms around Jensen as though they'd been apart for days rather than moments.

"Mmm, you smell good," Jared murmured.

Yet again, Jensen's brain was trying to sort through everything. There was sense to be made out of the whole strange thing. "Jared, are you? Did you-"

Jared stood back far enough to smile and wink. "I'm not supposed to tell. Come on! It's warm enough to swim in the lake here."

It was Jensen's dream. _Jensen's_.

He began to follow after Jared. Up ahead, just beyond a thicket of trees, Jensen heard a splash and a happy yell.

"I'll be damned." Jensen tugged his shirt off over his head and tossed it aside. He was absolutely in the mood for a swim.

**/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\sd/\**


End file.
